“THE SCOREBOARD”
CENTRAL INDIANA BASEBALL SCORES
WINCHESTER 14 RANDOLPH SOUTHERN 3
YORKTOWN 12 WES DEL 6
KNIGHTSTOWN 7 HAGERSTOWN 5
BLUE RIVER 7 MONROE CENTRAL 6
WALDRON 8 N. DECATUR 4
DALEVILLE 11 MUNCIE BURRIS 1
INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON 8 INDIANAPOLIS METRO 7
ALEXANDRIA MONROE 8 FRANKTON 1
GREENCASTLE 12 MONROVIA 2
ANDERSON 11 MUNCIE CENTRAL 5
SILVER CREEK 4 N. HARRISON 0
CATHEDRAL 7 UNIVERSITY 2
NORTH PUTNAM 8 CLOVERDALE 0
ELWOOD 10 EASTBROOK 3
CONNERSVILLE 11 RUSHVILLE 5
SCECINA 8 BEECH GROVE 0
SOUTH DECATUR 13 MORRISTOWN 4
LAPEL 6 HAMILTON HEIGHTS 1
IRVINGTON PREP 23 PROVIDENCE CRISTO REY 2
GREENSBURG 3 FRANKLIN COUNTY 2
RICHMOND 11 UNION COUNTY 5
TRI 15 ANDERSON PREP 9
EASTERN HANCOCK 3 COWAN 2
EAST CENTRAL 9 S. DEARBORN 0
BATESVILLE 6 LAWRENCEBURG 0
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN 11 RITTER 4
RUSHVILLE 3 CONNERSVILLE 1
DELTA 3 WAPAHANI 2
FISHERS 4 AVON 1
TRI-WEST 5 HARRISON 4
WESTFIELD 10 ZIONSVILLE 1
MOORESVILLE 7 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 1
GREENWOOD 3 MARTINSVILLE 2
NORTHVIEW 6 PLAINFIELD 5
FLOYD CENTRAL 7 SEYMOUR 1
FRANKLIN CENTRAL 5 BROWNSBURG 4
NOBLESVILLE 16 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 2
STATE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/BASEBALL/SCORES/?DATE=5/2/2024
CENTRAL INDIANA SOFTBALL SCORES
NORTHEASTERN 17 RANDOLPH SOUTHERN 0
GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 7 HERRON 6
CENTERVILLE 11 MONROE CENTRAL 1
SULLIVAN 2 TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 1
MONROVIA 6 EMINENCE 2
NEW CASTLE 11 ANDERSON 1
HAGERSTOWN 7 CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 2
WINCHESTER 15 WAPAHANI 5
PENDLETON HEIGHTS 12 MOUNT VERNON 1
COLUMBUS EAST 8 TRINITY LUTHERAN 4
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 19 IRVINGTON PREP 0
FRANKLIN COUNTY 5 CONNERSVILLE 4
BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 16 CHRISTEL HOUSE 2
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 17 JENNINGS COUNTY 1
EASTERN HANCOCK 4 UNION COUNTY 0
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 2 SEYMOUR 1
YORKTOWN 17 SHENANDOAH 1
TRI-WEST 8 BISHOP CHARATD 3
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 14 LEBANON 0
MORRISTOWN 18 S. DECATUR 5
UNION CITY 12 COWAN 8
GREENWOOD 9 MARTINSVILLE 7
NOBLESVILLE 15 KOKOMO 3
HORIZON CHRISTIAN 27 LIBERTY CHRISTIAN 12
TRITON CENTRAL 4 RUSHVILLE 0
SOUTH NEWTON 18 SEEGER 5
EAST CENTRAL 4 GREENSBURG 0
AVON 13 MCCUTCHEON 2
NEW PALESTINE 16 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 2
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 12 BENTON CENTRAL 2
GREENWOOD 5 MARTINSVILLE 1
CENTER GROVE 8 WESTFIELD 7
STATE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/SOFTBALL/SCORES/?DATE=5/2/2024
INDIANA TRACK RESULTS: HTTPS://IN.MILESPLIT.COM/RESULTS
INDIANA GIRLS LAX
CATHEDRAL 10 BISHOP CHATARD 9
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 15 WARREN CENTRAL 1
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS TENNIS
LEBANON 4 TRI-WEST 1
GREENWOOD 5 NORTH MONTGOMERY 0
DELTA 5 YORKTOWN 0
BOYS GOLF
TRI-WEST 154 WESTERN BOONE 197
FRANKTON 168 OAK HILL 182
NEW PALESTINE 156, GREENFIELD CENTRAL 162, MR. VERNON 165, EASTERN HANCOCK 179
NBA PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ALL TIMES EASTERN STANDARD TIME
• GAME 1: CELTICS 114, HEAT 94
• GAME 2: HEAT 111, CELTICS 101
• GAME 3: CELTICS 104, HEAT 84
• GAME 4: CELTICS 102, HEAT 88
• GAME 5: CELTICS 118, HEAT 84
BOSTON WINS SERIES 4-1
(2) NEW YORK VS. (7) PHILADELPHIA
• GAME 1: KNICKS 111, 76ERS 104
• GAME 2: KNICKS 104, 76ERS 101
• GAME 3: 76ERS 125, KNICKS 114
• GAME 4: KNICKS 97, 76ERS 92
• GAME 5: 76ERS 112, KNICKS 106 (OT)
• GAME 6: KNICKS 118, 76ERS 115
NEW YORK WINS SERIES 4-2
* = IF NECESSARY
• GAME 1: BUCKS 109, PACERS 94
• GAME 2: PACERS 125, BUCKS 108
• GAME 3: PACERS 121, BUCKS 118 (OT)
• GAME 4: PACERS 126, BUCKS 113
• GAME 5: BUCKS 115, PACERS 92
• GAME 6: PACERS 120, BUCKS 98
INDIANA WINS SERIES 4-2
• GAME 1: CAVALIERS 97, MAGIC 83
• GAME 2: CAVALIERS 96, MAGIC 86
• GAME 3: MAGIC 121, CAVALIERS 83
• GAME 4: MAGIC 112, CAVALIERS 89
• GAME 5: CAVALIERS 104, MAGIC 103
• GAME 6: CAVALIERS VS. MAGIC; FRIDAY, MAY 3 (7 ET, ESPN)
• GAME 7: MAGIC VS. CAVALIERS; SUNDAY, MAY 5 (TBD, TBD)*
CLEVELAND LEADS SERIES 3-2
* = IF NECESSARY
WESTERN CONFERENCE
ALL TIMES EASTERN STANDARD TIME
(1) OKLAHOMA CITY VS. (8) NEW ORLEANS
• GAME 1: THUNDER 94, PELICANS 92
• GAME 2: THUNDER 124, PELICANS 92
• GAME 3: THUNDER 106, PELICANS 85
• GAME 4: THUNDER 97, PELICANS 89
OKLAHOMA CITY WINS SERIES 4-0
(2) DENVER VS. (7) L.A. LAKERS
• GAME 1: NUGGETS 114, LAKERS 103
• GAME 2: NUGGETS 101, LAKERS 99
• GAME 3: NUGGETS 112, LAKERS 105
• GAME 4: LAKERS 119, NUGGETS 108
• GAME 5: NUGGETS 108, LAKERS 106
DENVER WINS SERIES 4-1
• GAME 1: TIMBERWOLVES 120, SUNS 95
• GAME 2: TIMBERWOLVES 105, SUNS 93
• GAME 3: TIMBERWOLVES 126, SUNS 109
• GAME 4: TIMBERWOLVES 122, SUNS 116
MINNESOTA WINS SERIES 4-0
(4) LA CLIPPERS VS. (5) DALLAS
• GAME 1: CLIPPERS 109, MAVERICKS 97
• GAME 2: MAVERICKS 96, CLIPPERS 93
• GAME 3: MAVERICKS 101, CLIPPERS 90
• GAME 4: CLIPPERS 116, MAVERICKS 111
• GAME 5: MAVERICKS 123, CLIPPERS 93
• GAME 6: CLIPPERS VS. MAVERICKS; FRIDAY, MAY 3 (9:30 ET, ESPN)
• GAME 7: MAVERICKS VS. CLIPPERS; SUNDAY, MAY 5 (8 ET, TBD)*
DALLAS LEADS SERIES 3-2
* = IF NECESSARY
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS SCHEDULE
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ALL TIMES EASTERN STANDARD TIME
• GAME 1: TBD VS. CELTICS, TBD (TBD, TBD)
• GAME 2: TBD VS. CELTICS, TBD (TBD, TBD)
• GAME 3: CELTICS VS. TBD, TBD (TBD, TBD)
• GAME 4: CELTICS VS. TBD, TBD (TBD, TBD)
• GAME 5: TBD VS. CELTICS, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
• GAME 6: CELTICS VS. TBD, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
• GAME 7: TBD VS. CELTICS, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
SERIES TIED 0-0
* = IF NECESSARY
• GAME 1: PACERS VS. KNICKS, MONDAY, MAY 6 (7:30 ET, TNT)
• GAME 2: PACERS VS. KNICKS, WEDNESDAY, MAY 8 (8 ET, TNT)
• GAME 3: KNICKS VS. PACERS, FRIDAY, MAY 10 (7 ET, ESPN)
• GAME 4: KNICKS VS. PACERS, SUNDAY, MAY 12 (3:30 ET, ABC)
• GAME 5: PACERS VS. KNICKS, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
• GAME 6: KNICKS VS. PACERS, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
• GAME 7: PACERS VS. KNICKS, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
SERIES TIED 0-0
* = IF NECESSARY
WESTERN CONFERENCE
ALL TIMES EASTERN STANDARD TIME
• GAME 1: TBD VS. THUNDER, TUESDAY, MAY 7 (9:30 ET, TNT)
• GAME 2: TBD VS. THUNDER, THURSDAY, MAY 9 (TBD, ESPN)
• GAME 3: THUNDER VS. TBD, SATURDAY, MAY 11 (3:30 ET, ABC)
• GAME 4: THUNDER VS. TBD, MONDAY, MAY 13 (TBD, TNT)
• GAME 5: TBD VS. THUNDER, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
• GAME 6: CELTICS VS. TBD, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
• GAME 7: TBD VS. CELTICS, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
SERIES TIED 0-0
* = IF NECESSARY
• GAME 1: WOLVES VS. NUGGETS, SATURDAY, MAY 4 (7 ET, TNT)
• GAME 2: WOLVES VS. NUGGETS, MONDAY, MAY 6 (10 ET, TNT)
• GAME 3: NUGGETS VS. WOLVES, FRIDAY, MAY 10 (9:30 ET, ESPN)
• GAME 4: NUGGETS VS. WOLVES, SUNDAY, MAY 12 (8 ET, TNT)
• GAME 5: WOLVES VS. NUGGETS, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
• GAME 6: NUGGETS VS. WOLVES, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
• GAME 7: WOLVES VS. NUGGETS, TBD (TBD, TBD) *
SERIES TIED 0-0
* = IF NECESSARY
NHL PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
FLORIDA PANTHERS (1A) VS. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (WC1)
FLORIDA WINS SERIES 4-1
GAME 1: PANTHERS 3, LIGHTNING 2
GAME 2: PANTHERS 3, LIGHTNING 2 (OT)
GAME 3: PANTHERS 5, LIGHTNING 3
GAME 4: LIGHTNING 6, PANTHERS 3
GAME 5: PANTHERS 6, LIGHTNING 1
COMPLETE PANTHERS-LIGHTNING SERIES COVERAGE
BOSTON BRUINS (2A) VS. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (3A)
SERIES TIED 3-3
GAME 1: BRUINS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 1
GAME 2: MAPLE LEAFS 3, BRUINS 2
GAME 3: BRUINS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 2
GAME 4: BRUINS 3, MAPLE LEAFS 1
GAME 5: MAPLE LEAFS 2, BRUINS 1 (OT)
GAME 6: MAPLE LEAFS 2, BRUINS 1
GAME 7: MAPLE LEAFS AT BRUINS — MAY 4, 8 P.M. ET (ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS)
COMPLETE BRUINS-MAPLE LEAFS SERIES COVERAGE
NEW YORK RANGERS (1M) VS. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (WC2)
NEW YORK WINS SERIES 4-0
GAME 1: RANGERS 4, CAPITALS 1
GAME 2: RANGERS 4, CAPITALS 3
GAME 3: RANGERS 3, CAPITALS 1
GAME 4: RANGERS 4, CAPITALS 2
COMPLETE RANGERS-CAPITALS SERIES COVERAGE
CAROLINA HURRICANES (2M) VS. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (3M)
CAROLINA WINS SERIES 4-1
GAME 1: HURRICANES 3, ISLANDERS 1
GAME 2: HURRICANES 5, ISLANDERS 3
GAME 3: HURRICANES 3, ISLANDERS 2
GAME 4: ISLANDERS 3, HURRICANES 2 (2OT)
GAME 5: HURRICANES 6, ISLANDERS 3
COMPLETE HURRICANES-ISLANDERS SERIES COVERAGE
WESTERN CONFERENCE
DALLAS STARS (1C) VS. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (WC2)
DALLAS LEADS SERIES 3-2
GAME 1: GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, STARS 3
GAME 2: GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, STARS 1
GAME 3: STARS 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2 (OT)
GAME 4: STARS 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2
GAME 5: STARS 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2
GAME 6: STARS AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS — MAY 3, 10 P.M. ET (TNT, MAX, SN, SN360, TVAS)
+ GAME 7: GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT STARS — MAY 5, TBD
COMPLETE STARS-GOLDEN KNIGHTS SERIES COVERAGE
WINNIPEG JETS (2C) VS. COLORADO AVALANCHE (3C)
COLORADO WINS SERIES 4-1
GAME 1: JETS 7, AVALANCHE 6
GAME 2: AVALANCHE 5, JETS 2
GAME 3: AVALANCHE 6, JETS 2
GAME 4: AVALANCHE 5, JETS 1
GAME 5: AVALANCHE 6, JETS 3
COMPLETE JETS-AVALANCHE SERIES COVERAGE
VANCOUVER CANUCKS (1P) VS. NASHVILLE PREDATORS (WC1)
VANCOUVER LEADS SERIES 3-2
GAME 1: CANUCKS 4, PREDATORS 2
GAME 2: PREDATORS 4, CANUCKS 1
GAME 3: CANUCKS 2, PREDATORS 1
GAME 4: CANUCKS 4, PREDATORS 3 (OT)
GAME 5: PREDATORS 2, CANUCKS 1
GAME 6: CANUCKS AT PREDATORS — MAY 3, 7 P.M. ET (TNT, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS)
+ GAME 7: PREDATORS AT CANUCKS — MAY 5, TBD
COMPLETE CANUCKS-PREDATORS SERIES COVERAGE
EDMONTON OILERS (2P) VS. LOS ANGELES KINGS (3P)
EDMONTON WINS SERIES 4-1
GAME 1: OILERS 7, KINGS 4
GAME 2: KINGS 5, OILERS 4 (OT)
GAME 3: OILERS 6, KINGS 1
GAME 4: OILERS 1, KINGS 0
GAME 5: OILERS 4, KINGS 3
COMPLETE OILERS-KINGS SERIES COVERAGE
+ – IF NECESSARY
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MIAMI 5 COLORADO 4 (10)
BALTIMORE 7 NY YANKEES 2
NY METS 7 CHICAGO CUBS 6 (11)
SAN FRANCISCO 3 BOSTON 1
TEXAS 6 WASHINGTON 0
HOUSTON 8 CLEVELAND 2
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS 6 BUFFALO 4
FT. WAYNE 3 LAKE COUNTY 0
FT. WAYNE 3 LAKE COUNTY 1
LANSING 2 SOUTH BEND 1
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 8 IUPUI 4
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 1 IUPUI 0
UFL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES AND NEWS REPORTS
NBA NEWS
PACERS CELEBRATE 1ST PLAYOFF SERIES VICTORY IN A DECADE, BEATING BUCKS 120-98 IN GAME 6
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Obi Toppin scored 21 points, T.J. McConnell had 20 points and nine assists and the Indiana Pacers won a playoff series for the first time in a decade, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 120-98 in Game 6 on Thursday night.
The Pacers will face the winner of the Philadelphia-New York series in the Eastern Conference semifinals. New York took a 3-2 lead into Game 6 later Thursday.
Indiana’s milestone victory came exactly 30 years after it swept Orlando 3-0 to advance in the NBA playoffs for the first time in franchise history, and it came on a night the Bucks again were without Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time league MVP never played after straining his left calf April 9.
Damian Lillard, meanwhile, returned from a right Achilles injury and played well — but was not nearly as dominant as he was in the first two games when he scored 69 points. Lillard finished with 28 points on 7-of-16 shooting.
Bobby Portis Jr. added 20 points and 15 rebounds for Milwaukee. Brook Lopez also had 20 points, and Khris Middleton had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton had 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for Indiana, and Pascal Siakam finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Toppin and McConnell each had playoff career-high scoring totals, and McConnell also had four steals.
Indiana went 8-3 against the Bucks this season and handed Milwaukee its second straight first-round exit.
Easy? Not a chance. Indiana turned the game with a 23-3 first-quarter spurt that made it 29-19 and the Pacers never trailed again.
But every time the Bucks charged back the Pacers had an answer.
When Milwaukee cut it to 38-34 early in the second quarter, Indiana scored seven straight points. When the Bucks opened the second half on a 9-4 run to close to 63-56, Indiana responded with a 10-5 run to extend the margin to 12. When Milwaukee got to 85-78 with 6:05 left in the third, McConnell capped an 11-0 run with back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 96-78 early in the fourth.
And the Bucks never recovered as the Pacers extended the lead to 104-84 with 8:07 to play. From that point, it was a festive atmosphere at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with Pacers players being serenaded off the court to a standing ovation.
KNICKS ADVANCE TO THE EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIS, TOPPING 76ERS 118-115 IN GAME 6
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Josh Hart raised his arms and extended three fingers on each hand on his go-ahead 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 24.4 seconds left that was finally enough to send the New York Knicks past the Philadelphia 76ers 118-115 in Game 6 on Thursday night and into the second round of the playoffs.
Jalen Brunson had 41 points and 12 assists to lead the Knicks, who are set for an Eastern Conference semifinal matchup with Indiana. The Pacers beat Milwaukee in six games and advanced to the second round for the first time in 10 years.
Game 1 is Monday night in New York.
The Knicks are through to the second round in consecutive years for the first time since the postseasons from 1992-2000, and even then, nobody did what Brunson did in this series by scoring 40 points or more in each of the final three games. He became the first Knick to do that since Bernard King 40 years ago, and the first NBA player to score 40 or more to close out a series since Michael Jordan for Chicago against Cleveland in 1989.
In a series defined by tight games, Hart hit the clutch shot that made it 114-111 and again had “Let’s go Knicks! Let’s go Knicks!” chants echoing throughout Philly’s home court. Joel Embiid scored a bucket but fouled out on the next possession. Donte DiVincenzo sealed New York’s win with two free throws.
“The fourth quarter was just one big play after the next,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Naturally, the former Villanova Wildcats trio of Hart, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson saved the Knicks from a first-half collapse that was nearly enough to force a Game 7. DiVincenzo scored 23 points and Hart had 16.
Embiid finished with 39 points and 13 rebounds. Buddy Hield had 20 points. After dropping 45 points in Game 5, Tyrese Maxey was a non-factor in the first half and finished with 17.
“This series probably could have went the exact opposite the way it did,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “But it didn’t.”
The 76ers still haven’t made it past the second round since 2001 and can pin the bulk of the blame in this one on their starters. Tobias Harris, in the final year of a five-year, $180 million contract, went scoreless. So did Kyle Lowry.
Despite Philadelphia’s best efforts to keep rowdy Knicks fans at home, Wells Fargo Center sounded more like Madison Square Garden in the waning moments. Knicks fans crowded near New York’s tunnel after the game and held their phones high to capture video of their favorite team headed to the locker room.
“Was it hostile?” Thibodeau cracked, when asked about the atmosphere.
This was a game were it seemed natural to want to skip ahead to the final minute. After all, there have been five playoff games since the 1996-97 season where a team trailed by five or more in the final 30 seconds of regulation and came back to win — and two were in this series.
Game 2, the Knicks rallied to win 104-101.
Game 5, the 76ers came back for a 112-106 overtime win.
Exhilarating, exhausting, there was more can-you-top-this ahead.
With Sixers fans having seized back the building, they were roaring at the late tip — shortly after 9 p.m. EDT — only for the Knicks to come roaring out to a 33-11 lead. Just last season, the 76ers held a 3-2 series lead against Boston in the East semifinals, only to drop Game 6 at home, and then Game 7 in Boston. The Sixers lost Game 6 and the East semis in 2022 at home to Miami.
Only in this Game 6, the Sixers showed some moxie.
With Maxey unable to find a shot, Hield about saved the season. Acquired at the trade deadline, Hield lost his starting job after a late-season slump. He missed all four 3-point attempts in the first three games of the series and did not play in the last two. Hield found his shot in Game 6, hitting five 3s in the second quarter that sparked the Sixers on a 34-11 run.
His fifth 3 helped send the Sixers into the half with a 54-51 lead.
Maxey hit a 3 for a 10-point lead in the third before a pair of wild misses from beyond the arc sparked a Knicks rally. OG Anunoby closed the third quarter with a tying 3 for New York and he opened the fourth with one for an 86-83 lead. With the game tied 95-all, Brunson hit a step-back 3 and then another 3 that made it 101-95.
Anunoby’s dunk for an eight-point Knicks lead with 2:43 left looked like it might be decisive. But the Sixers had one more run in them.
“A lot of our guys don’t have playoff experience,” Thibodeau said. “I think going through a series like this invaluable to them.”
BULLS G ALEX CARUSO COLLECTS NBA’S HUSTLE AWARD
Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso was named the winner of the NBA’s 2023-24 Hustle Award on Thursday.
The award honors players who “make the effort plays that don’t often appear in the traditional box score but impact winning on a nightly basis.”
Caruso, 30, averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals in 71 games (57 starts) this season.
He also excelled in the so-called “hustle stats,” leading the league in deflections per game (3.7), finishing fifth in loose balls recovered (1.0 per game) and placing seventh in charges drawn (0.17 per game).
An All-Defensive First Team selection in 2022-23, Caruso finished third in the NBA with 120 steals in 2023-24.
He is the second Chicago player honored in the Hustle Award’s eight-year history, joining Thaddeus Young (2020-21).
Toronto’s Scottie Barnes finished second to Caruso, followed by Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski, Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort and Charlotte’s Grant Williams.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
FORMER XAVIER G DESMOND CLAUDE TO JOIN SOUTHERN CAL
Big East Most Improved Player Desmond Claude has committed to Southern California.
Claude, who played in 69 games (35 starts) in two seasons at Xavier, elected to join the Trojans under new head coach Eric Musselman after visiting their campus last weekend.
“It honestly felt like a perfect fit from the first call,” the 6-foot-6 guard told ESPN on Thursday. “The academic support, basketball resources and basketball vision all seemed custom-made for me. Also, coach Musselman has a proven track record over the past several years of helping big lead guards make the jump to being NBA-ready guards.”
Claude’s scoring average jumped from 4.7 as a freshman to 16.6 as a sophomore.
Claude, who made only 23.9 percent of his 3-point tries last season, scored 30 points in his final game for the Musketeers at Georgia in an opening-round loss in the NIT.
He led the Big East in scoring during March with 22.8 points per game.
In addition to increased scoring, Claude played 33.8 minutes per game and averaged 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists last season.
REPORT: VILLANOVA G TJ BAMBA TRANSFERRING TO OREGON
Former Washington State and Villanova guard TJ Bamba is transferring to Oregon, The Athletic reported Thursday.
He played three seasons with the Cougars before averaging 10.1 points in 33 starts for the Wildcats in 2023-24.
Bamba has averaged 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 119 career games (84 starts).
The 6-foot-3 New York native is a career 38.0 percent shooter from beyond the arc with 144 made 3-pointers.
BASEBALL NEWS
MLB ROUNDUP: MIKE YASTRZEMSKI HOMERS AS GIANTS BEAT RED SOX
Mike Yastrzemski hit a solo home run and the visiting San Francisco Giants avoided a series sweep by beating the Boston Red Sox 3-1 on Thursday in the final game of a three-game set.
Yastrzemski’s home run was his third of the season and came hours after he was visited in the clubhouse by his grandfather and Red Sox legend, Carl Yastrzemski. It was Mike Yastrzemski’s second career home run in six games at Fenway Park after his grandfather hit 237 of his 452 home runs at Fenway.
The Giants broke a 1-1 tie by scoring twice in the seventh. Patrick Bailey singled, took third on Matt Chapman’s single and scored on a single by Thairo Estrada. Nick Ahmed added a sacrifice fly that drove in Chapman to make it 3-1. Both runs were charged to Zack Kelly (0-1), while Ryan Walker (3-2) earned the win for the Giants with a scoreless sixth inning.
The victory ended Boston’s four-game winning streak. The Red Sox won the first two games of the series 4-0 and 6-2.
Mets 7, Cubs 6 (11 innings)
Francisco Lindor came off the bench to spark a sixth-inning comeback with a two-run double, then delivered a game-ending two-run double in the 11th inning as New York edged Chicago to split a four-game series.
The Cubs’ Nick Madrigal had a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the 11th, but Mets right fielder Starling Marte threw out Madrigal trying to score on a two-out hit by Mike Tauchman before the Mets came back against Daniel Palencia (0-1). Harrison Bader was hit by a pitch leading off the 11th inning before Lindor hit a 3-2 pitch the opposite way to the left-field corner. Automatic runner Brett Baty scored the tying run and Bader slid in with the winning run as shortstop Dansby Swanson bobbled the relay.
The Mets trailed 4-0 and were no-hit through four innings by Cubs rookie Ben Brown before starting their comeback. Christopher Morel hit a three-run homer for the Cubs.
Orioles 7, Yankees 2
Ryan Mountcastle and Jorge Mateo each drove in two runs and accounted for two of Baltimore’s three solo home runs as Baltimore defeated visiting New York.
Ryan McKenna also homered for the Orioles, who won three of four games in the series. Jordan Westburg ripped a two-run triple.
Baltimore right-handed starter Kyle Bradish, who suffered a sprained UCL in mid-February at the beginning of spring training, made a strong season debut with 4 2/3 innings allowing one run and striking out five.
Marlins 5, Rockies 4 (10 innings)
Jesus Sanchez’s two-out single in the bottom of the 10th drove in Luis Arraez from second, and host Miami beat Colorado to sweep the three-game series.
Josh Bell homered, Arraez had two hits and Burch Smith (1-0) picked up the victory for the Marlins.
Jacob Stallings homered and singled and Brendan Rodgers also had two hits for the Rockies, who have trailed in all 31 games this season.
Rangers 6, Nationals 0
Nathan Eovaldi pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings to help lead Texas over Washington in Arlington, Texas.
Eovaldi (2-2) allowed just two hits and two walks and struck out eight batters. After 92 pitches, Eovaldi was removed due to an apparent lower-body injury, but he led the Rangers to their third win in its past four games.
Jonah Heim went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs and Travis Jankowski plated a pair of runs for Texas, while the Nationals managed just four hits, including doubles by Luis Garcia and CJ Abrams.
DODGERS RHP WALKER BUEHLER TO RETURN MONDAY
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Walker Buehler will return to the mound for the first time since June 2022 on Monday.
Manager Dave Roberts said the two-time All-Star right-hander will start at home against the Miami Marlins.
“The plan is Walker’s going to start on Monday,” Roberts said following the Dodgers’ 8-0 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night. “We’re excited about that. Everything checked out. It’ll be good.”
Buehler, 29, has been sidelined for nearly two years since undergoing his second Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
He is 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA in six starts — one at Class A Rancho Cucamonga and five at Triple-A Oklahoma City — on a rehab assignment this season. He has struck out 21 batters and walked nine in 21 2/3 innings.
During his last full season in 2021, Buehler made his second All-Star team (also 2019) and finished 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA in 33 starts.
Buehler owns a 46-16 record with a 3.02 ERA in 115 games (106 starts) since making his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2017. He helped Los Angeles win the World Series in 2020.
NHL NEWS
NYLANDER AND WOLL HELP MAPLE LEAFS BEAT BRUINS 2-1 TO FORCE GAME 7
TORONTO (AP) — William Nylander scored twice, Joseph Woll made 22 saves and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday night to force a seventh game in the first-round Eastern Conference series.
Toronto has overcame a 3-1 series deficit, also staving off elimination with a 2-1 victory in overtime in Boston on Tuesday night, to send the series back to Boston for a winner-take-all finale Saturday night. The series winner will face the Florida Panthers.
Morgan Rielly assisted on both goals.
Jeremy Swayman stopped 24 shots for the Bruins, who also blew a 3-1 lead against the Florida Panthers last year in the first round before losing in Game 7 following a record-setting regular season. Morgan Geekie spoiled Woll’s shutout bid with 0.1 seconds left.
Toronto was without Auston Matthews for the second straight game after the star center was pulled from Game 4 because of an illness.
Nylander opened the scoring with 54.8 seconds left in the second period. The Swedish winger took a pass from Timothy Liljegren in the offensive zone before weaving away from his check and firing a shot that glanced off Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy in front and beat Swayman on the short-side.
The goal set off wild celebrations inside an electric Scotiabank Arena — and outside the rink as Maple Leaf Square turned into a mosh pit of blue and white.
Toronto made it 2-0 with 2:13 left in the game when Nylander moved in alone after taking a pass from Matthew Knies and slid a backhander between Swayman’s pads.
Woll is the first goalie in NHL history to have each of his first four career playoff starts come in elimination games. Thatcher Demko (2020), Michael Hutchinson (2020) and Manny Fernandez (2003) are the only other netminders to have their first three starts come in win-or-go home contests.
MEN’S GOLF
BROOKS KOEPKA: MERGER TALK IS PIF-PGA TOUR, NOT LIV
Seemingly stalled merger talks could build a bridge between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, but nearly 11 months since the potential agreement became public, Brooks Koepka cleared up what he believes is a public misconception.
“I mean, the merger is also between PIF (Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund) and the PGA Tour,” Koepka said Thursday at Sentosa Golf Club, site of LIV Singapore. “I think that’s the difference. It’s not LIV Golf, it’s the PIF and the PGA TOUR. I think that’s something that needs to be well known.
“Look, we have no idea. The PGA Tour has no idea. Our job is to go play golf, and that’s it. That’s what we’re here to do. But I think it’s important that the merger is that way.”
Koepka said he’s focused on fixing his putting this week with the PGA Championship at Valhalla two weeks away. He is the defending PGA Championship winner, taking his third Wanamaker Trophy at Oak Hill in 2023. But his game isn’t in the same place by his own assessment following a 45th-place finish at Augusta National last month. Koepka was 20 shots off the pace of winner Scottie Scheffler.
Koepka is 16th in LIV Golf’s individual standings and working primarily on his short game. He lamented Thursday that he left Georgia last month with the feeling he wasted the four-month buildup to the tournament, which was anchored by a transition from a button-back style putter in his bag for a dozen years to a mallet putter.
“Something we’ve just been putting some work into, so trying to find some answers,” Koepka said.
Asked to describe the main issues with his putting at the moment, Koepka quipped: “The ball doesn’t go in the hole, that is usually one of them. I don’t know how else to simply put it. I feel like I’m hitting good putts, they just keep burning lips. Eventually it starts to wear on you after a while. All you can do is hit a good putt and see where it goes from there. Hopefully they start falling soon.”
Bryson DeChambeau was in the final pairing with Max Homa on Saturday at the Masters but was left in Scheffler’s wake and tied for sixth.
He said more LIV golfers are certain to be in contention in majors with three on the schedule in the next three months.
“I think us LIV golfers are prepared as ever to play major championships,” DeChambeau said, adding the lighter tournament scheduled “allows us the opportunity to have a little bit more time every once in a while to get ready for those majors. But I think we all have the firepower to play well and win a major championship. There’s a lot of major champions over here that know how to get it done, so it’s just a matter of time.”
DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson agreed with Koepka’s statement that LIV Golf is strong and has staying power, regardless of how “merger” talks progress.
Mickelson was among the players hailed with a rock-star treatment last week at Adelaide in Australia and finds Singapore to be more energetic about LIV’s arrival this time around.
“There’s also a lot of uncertainty. I think the things that I do know is I think the quality of the players will continue to get better each year,” Mickelson said of the future of LIV Golf. “I think that the ability and the sites that we move throughout the world will continue to excite players and excite fans. We’ll be going to more countries outside of the United States that really are starving for world-class professional golf, and we’ll have a lot more receptions like we had at Adelaide.”
MATT WALLACE POSTS 63 TO TAKE EARLY LEAD AT BYRON NELSON
Englishman Matt Wallace birdied five of his six holes and sailed to an 8-under-par 63 to establish the early lead at the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Thursday in McKinney, Texas.
Wallace’s bogey-free round ended with a birdie at the par-5 18th hole at TPC Craig Ranch. At 8 under, he was one shot ahead of Chesson Hadley, Canada’s Taylor Pendrith and Sweden’s Alex Noren as the rest of the field finished their rounds late Thursday afternoon.
Wallace, 34, has 11 professional wins worldwide — including four on the DP World Tour and one at the PGA Tour’s Corales Puntacana Championship in 2023 in the Dominican Republic — but he’s yet to win on U.S. soil. This might be the week for that to change, as 20th-ranked Jordan Spieth was the only top-20 golfer in the world in the field in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb.
“Watching some of the best players in the world, and what I’m seeing from a lot of them, especially the younger guys, younger than me — I’m not too old, but younger than me — they’re so focused in their shot and not worrying about the outcome or what’s out there,” Wallace said. “That’s what I’m trying to do now. So this might be test number 158 of me with a different round of golf.”
Brad Hopfinger, a 35-year-old who Monday qualified into the Byron Nelson, fired a spotless 6-under 65 to join a tie for fifth with Ben Kohles. Hopfinger finished his round birdie-eagle as he made an 18-foot eagle putt at the last.
Also making his PGA Tour debut was 16-year-old amateur Kris Kim of England, who chipped in for eagle from 67 feet away on his final hole (the par-5 ninth) to shoot a 3-under 68.
HORSE RACING
FIERCENESS, SIERRA LEONE LEAD THE PACK ENTERING 150TH KENTUCKY DERBY
For the second year in a row, the morning line favorite in the Kentucky Derby comes from the stable of Mike Repole. This time, Repole is counting on his prized colt, Fierceness, to not just make it to the starting gate but deliver the long-time owner his first victory.
Fierceness is the most accomplished of the 20 3-year-olds that will go to post Saturday in the 150th running of the most prestigious horse race in the United States. Installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite, the homebred son of City of Light was last seen posting an impressive 13 1/2-length win in the Florida Derby in late March.
A winner in three of his five career starts, Fierceness was named Champion 2-year Male of the Year in 2023, based largely upon his 6 1/4-length win in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. His lone hiccup this year came in the Holy Bull Stakes in February where he faded to a third-place finish.
Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velasquez, Fierceness will be the eighth colt to go to post in the Repole Stables silks, whose orange and blue color scheme is a nod to the New York Mets. He would have been the ninth had Forte not been scratched on the morning of last year’s race by Churchill Downs track veterinarians due to a bruised right hoof.
Repole, whose best finish in the Derby to date has been fifth, feels fortunate to be in this position again.
“There’s 20,000 foals born every year, so the Derby favorite was one out of 20,000 and now you come back a year later and are one out of 20,000 again,” he said. “This is like the greatest luck in the world. Maybe it was meant to be.”
A colt with tactical speed, Fierceness may not see his main rival, Sierra Leone, until the deep stretch.
Second choice in the morning line at 3-1, Sierra Leone is a deep closer who passed eight of his nine rivals en route to a 1 1/2-length win in the Blue Grass Stakes in his most recent start. Sierra Leone, who has finished no worse than second in his four career starts, will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione at Churchill Downs.
Fierceness will break from post position 17, which is the only post to never yield a Derby winner to date. Sierra Leone will break well inside of Fierceness from the No. 2 hole — potentially presenting a problem as he will be among the first in the large field to load.
In the Blue Grass, Sierra Leone resisted going into the gate for several minutes. Trainer Chad Brown placed the blame partly on the large crowd at Keeneland that day. With more than 150,000 expected in Louisville on Saturday, three times the Keeneland crowd, Brown added schooling sessions to Sierra Leone’s Derby week prep.
“He’s visited the gate twice this week and did really well,” Brown said.
Catching Freedom is the only other horse with early odds under 10-1. On the strength of his one-length victory in the Louisiana Derby, the son of Constitution sits at 8-1. Catching Freedom is trained by Brad Cox, who on Tuesday scratched Encino from the Derby field, allowing also eligible Epic Ride to draw in.
This year’s Derby field is distinguished by the presence of multiple Japanese-bred colts. Forever Young earned his way into the field after his win in the UAE Derby while T O Password qualified by accumulating the most points in the four-race Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby series. Both colts are making their North American racing debuts.
TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES AND NEWS REPORTS
INDIANA PACERS
GAME REWIND: PACERS 120, BUCKS 98 (GAME 6)
Game Recap
In the words of the late Hall of Famer Slick Leonard, “Boom Baby!” The Indiana Pacers are moving on to the next round of the NBA Playoffs.
The Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 120-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. They did so in fitting fashion, outrunning an older and ailing Milwaukee squad and putting up points with a balanced offensive attack.
Indiana fumbled its first opportunity to close out the best-of-seven series in Game 5 on Tuesday night in Milwaukee, but took care of business on is home floor on Thursday to advance to the second round for the first time since 2014.
The Blue & Gold were flying all over the Fieldhouse in Game 6, knocking down shots, intercepting passes, and sending the sold-out crowd into a frenzy. The Pacers led the NBA in points, assists, and bench scoring in the regular season and once again got contributions from up and down the lineup on Thursday.
Six Pacers reached double figures in the victory, with reserves Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell leading the way with the best postseason performances of their respective careers.
Toppin scored 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench, while McConnell tallied 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, nine assists and four steals.
PLAYOFF CENTRAL: Follow Indiana’s Postseason Run at Pacers.com/Playoffs >>
Pascal Siakam added 19 points on 9-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds, and four assists, while All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists to go along with six rebounds.
It was a complete performance from the Blue & Gold, who never trailed over the final three quarters, shot 54.1 percent from the field and limited the Bucks to just 42.2 percent shooting.
“The thing that I love about our team is that we’re a true team,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’ve got some great individual players, but we’re a group that needs each other. And I think that’s something that the people of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana can get behind.”
RELATED: Pacers Are “True Team,” Advance in Playoffs with Group Effort >>
The Pacers will advance to face the second-seeded New York Knicks in the next round, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 6. The Knicks won in Philadelphia on Thursday night to close out the 76ers in six games.
All-Star guard Damian Lillard returned for Game 6 for Milwaukee after missing the past two contests with a sore Achilles. Lillard scored 28 points, but it wasn’t enough to lead the Bucks to victory.
Milwaukee remained without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who did not play all series due to a left soleus strain.
The Bucks used an early 8-0 run to open up a 10-3 lead three minutes into Game 6, but the Pacers kept their composure.
Indiana outscored Milwaukee 26-9 over the next seven minutes to open up a 10-point lead. The highlight in that stretch came with just under three minutes remaining in the opening frame, when McConnell jumped a passing lane to intercept a Khris Middleton pass, starting a break where he dished to Haliburton for an emphatic right-hand slam.
After the dunk, McConnell then picked off the ensuing inbounds pass. He kicked the ball to Haliburton at the top of the key, who dished to a cutting Toppin attacking the rim. Toppin drew a foul and hit both free throws.
Indiana took a 33-24 lead into the second quarter. Haliburton tallied 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and four rebounds in the first quarter, while Toppin tallied nine points off the bench.
The Bucks opened the ensuing frame with an 8-2 run, drawing within three following Middleton’s three-point play. But the Pacers answered with a 10-2 surge of their own capped by Andrew Nembhard’s 3-pointer that put Indiana back up by double digits with 7:51 remaining in the first half.
The Blue & Gold maintained a healthy lead for the reminder of the half, pushing it as high as 14 when Haliburton connected with Toppin on an alley-oop in the final minute. Indiana led 59-47 at the intermission.
The Bucks opened the second half with a 7-2 spurt to get back within seven, but five straight points from Siakam quickly pushed the margin back to double digits.
Myles Turner picked up his fourth foul less than two minutes into the half, forcing Toppin in to early action. The high-flying forward delivered 10 points in the third quarter, hitting two big threes and also throwing down a dunk in transition.
Indiana pushed the lead to 78-63 following Aaron Nesmith’s three. Milwaukee then reeled off a 15-7 run, but the Blue & Gold closed the quarter with a flourish.
McConnell started the run with a layup with 58.7 seconds remaining. On the other end, Andrew Nembhard picked off a pass from Brook Lopez, then bullied his way through Malik Beasley in transition for a three-point play. After Middleton missed a three, the Bucks sagged off McConnell at the top of the key, so the veteran guard stepped up and knocked down the open shot to push the lead back to 93-78 entering the fourth quarter.
McConnell knocked down another trey — this one from the left corner — on the opening possession of the final frame to push the lead to 18.
He continued to make plays in the subsequent minutes, spinning around Lillard for a layup at 9:57, then weaving through the 6-10 Bobby Portis on the baseline and converting a fall-away jumper as the shot clock expired at 8:38.
That made it 101-84 and rookie guard Ben Sheppard added a three on the next possession to push the lead to 20.
“McConnell last game had a rough game,” Carlisle said. “His bounce back today was absolutely phenomenal. I would say in this game he was the major difference-maker with defensive intensity full-court, he knocked in two or three threes, he got in some difficult hoops around the basket. The crowd was going crazy. That period late third, early fourth quarter, it was something else.”
There was little drama in the final minutes, which turned instead into a celebration, with every key contributor getting their turn receiving a standing ovation from the crowd as Carlisle subbed them out one by one.
Nesmith scored 15 points for Indiana in the victory, while Nembhard tallied 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Portis finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds for Milwaukee. Lopez added 20 points, while Middleton finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Pacers had been resilient all season, responding to tough losses with bounce-back performances. That held true in this series, as they twice lost by double digits only to win by double digits the next game. After a 115-92 loss in Game 5 on Tuesday, they didn’t mess around on Thursday night.
“A lot of us had never been in that situation, in a close-out game,” Haliburton said. “Teams are going to play desperate, they are going to play hard. That’s what they did in Game 5. As players, we felt like we were trying a little more not to lose than to win — if that makes any sense. We had to do a better job of being more aggressive, playing harder, and controlling what we can. I thought we did a better job of that today.”
In the victorious locker room, Pacers center Myles Turner — the longest-tenured player on the roster in his ninth season and his sixth playoff appearance — reflected on what it means for the city to advance.
“I think the city deserves this,” Turner said. “Obviously I’m excited, but I think this is more so about Indianapolis, Indiana fans. They’ve been waiting a long time, I think it was a decade, to get back to this (round). We don’t want to stop here. We still have a lot more work to do.”
Inside the Numbers
Toppin’s 21 points were a new postseason career high. His previous high was 18 for the Knicks last season against Miami on April 30, 2023.
McConnell set playoff career highs with both his 20 points and nine assists. He had scored 19 points for Philadelphia against Boston on May 7, 2018 and had eight assists in Game 4 against the Bucks on Sunday.
Haliburton recorded his third double-double of the series. He had another double-double in Game 2 and a triple-double in Game 3.
The Pacers had 33 assists on 46 field goals on Thursday. The Bucks had 19 assists on 35 field goals.
Indiana outscored the Bucks 60-46 in the paint and by 18 points from 3-point range (the Pacers were 13-for-40 from beyond the arc, while Milwaukee was 7-for-27).
You Can Quote Me On That
“The difference in the series was pressure. It’s very difficult to get a group of guys to buy into 94-foot, full-court pressure on every possession that’s not a fastbreak. And our guys did it. Siakam was picking up full court, Toppin was doing it, everybody was doing it. That allowed us to maintain our pace. And we just felt that if we could keep pressure on them, we’d make it difficult.” -Carlisle on the key to the Pacers winning the series
“I thought everybody just played the right way. I thought Obi came in and played with unbelievable energy. T.J.’s energy was amazing…the bench’s energy was flowing the whole game honestly. At the end of the day, the two games we lost in this series, they dictated the pace and in the games we won we dictated it. We just knew we were going to come out, be aggressive. I think their switching kind of slowed us down in Game 5. We just didn’t’ wait to see what they were going to do. It didn’t really mattered what they were going to do. We just attacked.” –Haliburton on the Game 6 win
“We have a great crowd. They just did a good job of rallying us, keeping us engaged. I think that our crowd has been second-to-none all year. We’ve talked about that throughout the series…I think just because of the pace that we play at when we’re at home, and guys are feeling good, we’re a really tough team to beat. I think it just all goes to pace. For some reason, you play faster at home. I think it’s human nature to a point. I thought we did a good job of that.” Haliburton on the crowd and playing faster at home
“If I can be honest, I think our bench took a couple steps back competitive-wise and productivity-wise. I think tonight, all of us, just had a mentality of ‘we’re going to go out there and go to another level competitively,’ and that’s kind of the bench I saw all season. I’m happy for every guy that has come off the bench this season.” -McConnell on the bench’s big night
“I don’t really think there’s a lot of ego with our group…I don’t think we really deal with that a lot in our locker room. I think we do a great job of communicating more than anything. If we see one guy’s going, we try to go back to him. If we see one guy’s off, we try to give him energy. That’s what it’s about. Being a team. I think we’re the epitome of that. We have two All-Stars on our team, but we have guys that play above their role. That’s something that doesn’t happen a lot in this league.” -Turner on what makes this team successful
“Everybody just listens to each other. Whether you’re a starter, whether you are on the bench. Everybody is trying to get better out there and we are always trying to put each other in position to be successful.” –Toppin on the team
“I thought our guys learned an awful lot in this series. It’s hard to go through a playoff series against an experienced team like this as your first time in the playoffs. And we had a lot of guys that were first-timers. They learned the things that you need to learn along the way. The ability to win Game 2 and get homecourt advantage was obviously enormous.” -Carlisle
“I felt like tonight was one of my better ‘let the game come to me’ games. I felt like I tried to force the issue (in) a couple of games. It really hasn’t worked out the way I’d like to. (Assistant coach) Lloyd Pierce just kind of said ‘let the game come to you. Get off the ball and it will find its way back.’ It did, so credit to my teammates.” -McConnell on his performance
“The whole city and fanbase is behind Myles Turner. This is nine years. He’s never advance in the playoffs. And he was the foundation of this.” -Carlisle on Turner
“I was very excited for our group and the city just because I’ve seen the highs and lows of this. I know the fans have seen the highs and lows of this over the past 10 years as well. To finally get a little bit of the fruit of your labor with this is incredible. We still have a lot of work to do, but for me personally, it means a lot to finally advance.” -Turner on what it means for him personally to advance
Stat of the Night
The Pacers had the highest scoring bench in the NBA in the regular season and their second unit was dominant in a close-out game on Thursday. Indiana’s reserves outscored the Bucks’ bench 50-10 in Game 6, with Toppin and McConnell combining for 41.
Noteworthy
- Prior to Thursday, the last time the Pacers won a playoff series was in 2014, when they defeated Atlanta in the first round and Washington into the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
- The Pacers finished the season 8-3 against the Bucks, going 4-1 against their Central Division rivals in the regular season and 4-2 in the postseason.
- Indiana is now 3-0 in playoff series against Milwaukee, also knocking the Bucks out in the first round in 1999 and 2000.
- Former Pacers guard Travis Best, who hit a game-winning 3-pointer in Game 5 against Milwaukee in 2000, “revved up” the crowd before Thursday’s game.
Tickets
Secure playoff tickets by placing a deposit on a 2024-25 season ticket package or get exclusive presale access for future rounds by subscribing to Pacers Insider. Get more details at Pacers.com/Playoffs.
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANS 17-HIT ATTACK OVERPOWERS BISONS IN MATINEE MATCHUP
INDIANAPOLIS – Ji Hwan Bae energized the offense with four hits and all 10 batters to appear for the Indianapolis Indians recorded at least one base knock in a 14-5 rout over the Buffalo Bisons at Victory Field on Wednesday afternoon.
Bae continued to excel at the plate, finishing the game one hit shy of tying his career-high from April 29, 2022, at Iowa. The utilityman is hitting .391 (18-for-46) in 12 games with Indianapolis after going 4-for-6 with two runs, a double, RBI and stolen bases against Buffalo.
Indianapolis (14-12) jumped on the board in the first inning with three runs on a two-run single from Yasmani Grandal and a run-scoring groundout from Liover Peguero. The Indians did not look back, putting up 14 runs on 17 hit to never relinquish the lead.
Buffalo (16-12) cut into the lead in the second with a two-run blast courtesy of Steward Berroa, but the effort was quickly dismissed by a five-run frame by Indianapolis. In his first plate appearance at Victory Field, Andrés Alvarez launched his first home run of the season to deep center field to jumpstart the scoring. Three errors, two singles, an RBI groundout and double led to four additional runs scoring in the inning.
The Bisons made another offensive push in the top of the third, as Orelvis Martinez and Damiano Palmegiani launched back-to-back solo shots off southpaw Eric Lauer. Indy countered with one run in the fourth, four runs in the fifth on three RBI singles and a bases-loaded walk, and one run in the sixth to erase Buffalo’s effort and extend the lead.
As a team, the Indians’ season-high 14 runs on 17 hits included five doubles, a triple and home run. Two doubles came off the bat of Jake Lamb, with Matt Gorski tagging on his third three-bagger of the season.
Lauer started his fourth game for the Indians and allowed four runs off eight hits in 4.0 innings of work. After exiting the game, Brad Case (W, 1-0), Ryder Ryan and Fineas Del Bonta-Smith tossed 5.0 innings of one-run baseball.
Bisons starter Paolo Espino (L, 0-1) surrendered eight runs (four earned) in 1.2 innings pitched.
Indianapolis sent double-digit batters to the plate in both the second and fifth innings, marking the first time the team batted around the order twice in the same game since Sept. 11, 2022, at Omaha in a 19-9 Indians victory.
Indianapolis and Buffalo will square off in the third game of the six-game set tomorrow at 6:35 PM ET. LHP Cam Alldred (0-3, 9.00) gets the nod for Indy against RHP Chad Dallas (0-1, 7.04).
INDIANA BASEBALL
BASEBALL CENTRAL: PURDUE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The month of May has arrived in college baseball and brings the toughest stretch run of any team in the conference to the Indiana Baseball team (25-18-1, 10-5 B1G). The Hoosiers close out Big Ten play with series at Purdue, at Nebraska and vs. Michigan. Scheduled between that is midweeks with Cincinnati and Louisville.
This weekend will be one of the biggest series between IU and Purdue in recent memory. The Boilermakers (11-4) enter Friday having won 10-straight in the conference while the Hoosiers (10-5) have won 9-of-12 and four-straight Big Ten weekend slates.
There are five teams separated by just one game in the Big Ten standings. IU has already played Illinois (11-4) and will still play Purdue (11-4), Nebraska (10-5) and Michigan (10-5). Despite a number of injuries, IU has kept its head above water and is playing its best baseball heading to the last month of the regular season.
Over the next week, IU has the potential to add some guys back into a lineup that averaged over 10 runs per game in the month of April. Redshirt freshman Joey Brenczewski and Nick Mitchell are both hitting .455 in conference play and are heading a potent offensive attack.
The Hoosiers are starting to get more comfortable on the mound with the likes of graduate student Drew Buhr, juniors Brandon Keyster and Julian Tonghini and sophomore Aydan Decker-Petty taking big innings in big moments.
Friday’s game at Alexander Field in West Lafayette has a scheduled first pitch of 6:00 PM. The ensuing weekend games will slot at the normal times of 2:00 PM (Saturday) and 1:00 PM (Sunday) barring any weather in northern Indiana.
Gameday Info
vs. Purdue (Friday, May 3rd – 6:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/306Xt
vs. Purdue (Saturday, May 4th – 2:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/306Xt
vs. Purdue (Sunday, May 5th – 1:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/306Xt
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Purdue
• Friday – Brandon Keyster, LHP (IU) vs. Jordan Morales, LHP (PU)
• Saturday – Connor Foley, RHP (IU) vs. Luke Wagner, LHP (PU)
• Sunday – TBD (IU) vs. TBD (RU)
Player and Stat Trends
Mathison with 40 Jacks
• Carter Mathison hit a pair of home runs over the weekend to become the seventh member of the 40-home run club in program history. He’s currently tied for No. 6 all-time with MLB All-Star Kyle Schwarber (2012-14) and will have a chance to make a run at the all-time mark (47) over the next month.
Notable
Big Series Sweep
• Indiana got a massive series sweep of Rutgers last weekend in Bloomington. The three wins closed out a month of April that saw the Hoosiers go 9-3 in conference play and win all four Big Ten weekend series.
• The Hoosiers dominated in every facet of the game. The offense hung 38 runs on the board in only 22 offensive innings. IU hit 11 home runs led by three from sophomore outfielder Devin Taylor. The pitching staff held Rutgers to six runs or fewer in all three games. Drew Buhr and Aydan Decker-Petty had massive relief outings on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Hot in the Month of April
• After a really tough stretch of games in March, IU completely flipped the script in the month of April. The Hoosiers went 10-4-1, 9-3 in the Big Ten, to push themselves right back into the postseason conversation.
• IU averaged over 10 runs per game during the month with junior outfielder Nick Mitchell (.418) and redshirt freshman Joey Brenczewski (.410) each hitting above .400 in the 15 games. Those offensive numbers come without Brock Tibbitts, who didn’t even have an at-bat in the month due to injury.
Massive Series in West Lafayette
• One of the biggest three-game sets in the history of the Indiana-Purdue rivalry will come this weekend in West Lafayette. The Hoosiers come in one game behind the Boilermakers in a very tight conference race.
• Purdue has won 10-straight conference games with sweeps of Rutgers, Michigan State and Northwestern. The Boilers haven’t played any of the league’s five best teams yet. IU has won 10 of 14 since dropping the Big Ten opener. Both teams swept last weekend’s competition.
Mathison Chases History
• Although time is ticking on the season, and potentially his career (’24 draft eligible), Carter Mathison is making a late push at IU’s all-time record books. He hit two home runs over the weekend, and narrowly missed two more, to push his career home run total to 40.
• The Fort Wayne native is one of seven players in program history with 40+ career home runs and one of three to do so in three-or-fewer seasons (Alex Dickerson, Kyle Schwarber). He is seven away from matching the program record of 47. If he hits eight over the final month and change of the season, he will take the lead outright.
Time to Make Note of Joey B
• Despite taking a redshirt last season, head coach Jeff Mercer has been raving about Joey Brenczewski and his bat-to-ball skills. His bat was going to be enough to keep him in the lineup, but an injury to Brock Tibbitts and AJ Shepard forced him in on defense as well.
• Since Tibbitts went out with injury, and he became the full-time first baseman, Joey B is hitting .410 (25-61) with three home runs and 21 RBIs. In his past 10 games, he’s hitting a scorching .452 (19-42) while slugging .762. He hasn’t made an error in weeks and is beginning to make some outstanding defensive plays.
Scouting the Opponent
Purdue (30-15, 11-4)
• One of the surprise teams in the Big Ten this year, Purdue is riding a 10-game conference winning streak behind a collection of different talent and veteran arms. Luke Gaffney has hit the cover off the ball and is the favorite for Big Ten Freshman of the Year and potentially the league’s Player of the Year award.
• Camden Gasser is an on-base machine (.541) and hits .366 with 48 hits and 47 walks this year. Jo Stevens and Logan Sutter have been phenomenal complimentary pieces. Both Purdue and IU are averaging over 8.5 runs per game this season.
• Purdue’s top two weekend arms, Jordan Morales and Luke Wagner, have been great and worked deep into games. They give up a lot of hits but are able to manage the damage well. Each has gone at least 55 innings this season. The duo operates by putting balls into play and working outs.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Purdue
• The most commonly played series in program history returns for perhaps its biggest rendition in the past 20 years. Two teams, separated by a game at the top of the Big Ten standings, meet in West Lafayette for a chance to make a statement to the rest of the league.
• The Hoosiers own the all-time edge 155-136-2 against the Boilermakers. The series began in 1895. IU’s 155 wins against Purdue are the most against any one team in program history. IU has won four of six against Purdue including a dominant sweep last year in Bloomington.
• IU is 5-2 in the last seven weekend series against Purdue. Under head coach Jeff Mercer, including midweek contests that don’t show up in the conference standings, IU is 8-3.
INDIANA TRACK
HOOSIERS HOST BILLY HAYES INVITATIONAL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana track and field hosts the annual Billy Hayes Invitational on Friday as they close out the regular-season at Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex.
MEET INFO
Billy Hayes Invitational (All times ET)
Location: Bloomington, Ind.
Host: Indiana
Venue: Robert C. Haugh Complex
Livestats | Entries | Schedule
Coverage: Follow Indiana T&F at iuhoosiers.com and on social media at @IndianaXCTF.
LAST TIME OUT
Indiana traveled to the Texas Invitational and closed out the weekend with nine season and two personal bests.
In the field, Taylor Schoonveld recorded the ninth best mark in the High Jump after clearing a personal best height of 1.75m/5-8.75. Mahogany Jenkins finished second in the Triple Jump with a season best of 12.75m/41-10. Shanna Esters improved her throw in the Javelin with a mark of 38.80m/127-3.
Tyler Carrel and Nathan Stone finished with a season-best marks in the Pole Vault. They soared a height of 5.45m/17-10.50 before attempting a personal best at a height of 5.55m/18-2.50.
On the track, Novo Onovwerosuoke, Antonio Laidler, Otto De St Jeor and Trelee Banks ran a time of 40.01 in the 4x100m relay for sixth fastest time in program with 40.01 Season Best, No. 6 in program history. Laidler also won the 100m dash with a time of 10.11w and finished third in the 200m (20.57w).
The throwers attended the Sycamore Open where they recorded PR’s in every event for eight personal bests and three season bests. Drew Franklin led the Hoosiers with big personal best with and a fourth-place finish with a throw of 50.58m/165-11 in the discus. Hunter Smith finished fifth with a mark of 49.43m/162-02 followed by a season-best performance from Tyler Reyna (48.31m/158-06). Reyna achieved a personal best in the Hammer to finish third with a throw of 57.74m/189-5.00. Smith earned his second personal best on the day with a mark of 55.10m/180-9.00.
On the women’s side, Bridget Beyer put up a big throw (51.75m/169-9) in the Hammer to finish third. Emily Herndon also had a great day with a fourth-place finish and a personal best in the event (49.01m/160-9).
ON DECK
Indiana track and field will close out the regular season at home for their final meet of the regular season.
Eight throwers will compete in four events with Tyler Reyna, Hunter Smith doubling up in the Discus and the Hammer. Drew Franklin will join them in the event while improving his mark in the Shot Put.
Bridget Beyer will throw the Hammer. Emily Herndon will also throw the Hammer and look to improve her throw in the Shot Put.
Continuing in the field, Mahogany Jenkins, Serena Bolden, Kelly Moran and Taylor Schoonveld will compete across the three jumping events: high jump, long jump and triple jumps. Alex Smith, Grayson Rolen and Deepak Laungani are entered on the men’s side.
Four Pole Vaulters in Nathan Stone, Tyler Carrel, Riley Johnston and Tyler Sierks will compete on the runway.
The 3000m Steeplechase, 1500m and 3000m distance events are all stacked with the Hoosiers. Aidan Lord, Austin Haskett, Andrew Mangum, Martin Segurola and Skylar Stidam will run the 1500m. The women will also enter six entries with Jasmine Klopstad, Allie Latta, Lily Myers, Alyssa Shope, Grace Tyson and Mariah Wehrle.
Cole Raymond will race around the obstacles in the 3000m Steeplechase.
Claire Overfelt, Emma Everhart-Deckard and Andi VanMeter will run the 3000m race with Abe Eckman, Max Grangier, Travis Hickner, Garrett Hicks and Garrett Messer racing on the men’s side.
The Sprinters will consist of 19 student-athletes running across eight events.
John Colquitt and Olivia Gee will run the short 100mH and 110mH and the 400mH events. Micah Camble will also join them in the 400mH race.
Symone Adams and Tripti Tiwari are set for the 100m and 200m dash with Kylee Poulton, Morgan Snow and Kristina Vincic.
IU is stacked in the men’s sprints with seven entries: Trelee Banks, Ray Brodie, Otto De St Jeor, Vincente Graiani, Jaylen Grimes, Novo Onovwerosuoke and Gage Pratt.
PURDUE BASEBALL
FIRST-PLACE PURDUE HOSTS IU AS BIG TEN CONTENDERS COLLIDE
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Indiana (25-18-1, 10-5 Big Ten) at Purdue (30-15, 11-4 Big Ten)
Friday to Sunday, May 3-5 / Watch B1G+
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
Series Opener: Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m. ET
Middle Game: Saturday, May 4 at 2 p.m. ET
Series Finale: Sunday, May 5 at 1 p.m.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Jordan Morales (Grad, LHP) vs. IU’s Brandon Keyster (R-So, LHP)
Saturday: Luke Wagner (Sr, LHP) vs. IU’s Connor Foley (So, RHP)
Sunday: TBA for both teams
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Indiana leads 159-137-2
All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 76-65-1
2023: Indiana swept a 3-game set (May 12-14 in Bloomington)
Last Series in West Lafayette: Purdue won 2 of 3 (April 2022)
First Meeting: Purdue 3, Indiana 2 (May 1888 in Bloomington)
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday: Boilermaker Blackout – Wear Black to Alexander (Purdue in full black uniforms)
Saturday: Jimmy Buffett Day – Parrot Head T-shirt giveaway (early arriving fans); Coach Keady throws out 1st pitch
Sunday: Bark in the Park – Bring your dog to Alexander Field
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – As two of the Big Ten title contenders square off, Purdue Baseball gets an opportunity to host rival Indiana for a weekend series for just the third time since Alexander Field opened in 2013.
First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The forecast calls for temperatures in the 70s all weekend. Purdue students continue to receive free admission even with the spring semester wrapping up this week. An Alexander Field attendance record was established Wednesday and the benchmark could be reset again with both teams in contention at the top of the standings.
The Boilermakers (11-4 Big Ten) have won a program-record 10 consecutive games in Big Ten play, surging into first place with the league’s longest win streak in conference play since Rutgers (10) two years ago. The Hoosiers (10-5 Big Ten) won all four of their Big Ten series in April, punctuated by a sweep of Rutgers in Bloomington last weekend. Around the conference, Illinois (11-4 Big Ten), Michigan (10-5), Nebraska (10-5) and Iowa (10-8) have also reached 10-win mark in the league play. After facing each other, Purdue (at Michigan, vs. Illinois) and Indiana (at Nebraska, vs. Michigan) both play a pair of those teams over the final two weekends of the Big Ten season.
As the first Big Ten team to reach 30 wins this season, the Boilermakers enter the month of May in first place for the first time since winning the league in 2012. Purdue and IU finished 1-2 that year but did not play until the winner’s bracket final and championship game of the Big Ten Tournament.
Both rivals opened their current stadiums the following year. And it was this weekend’s setting that both universities no doubt envisioned while upgrading the programs’ facilities – the rivalry series taking center stage on a 70-degree weekend in May with both teams in the top three in the standings.
However, since 2013, the Big Ten schedule – in part due to the league’s expansion – did the rivalry series no favors. The teams did not play Big Ten games against each other in 2013, 2015 and 2019. Along the way, 17 of the last 24 IU-Purdue games have been played in Bloomington. The road team has not won a series since the Boilermakers took two of three at Sembower Field in May 2010.
The league coaches have since voted to make rivalry series permanent, meaning Purdue should host in the even-numbered years and IU the odd for the foreseeable future.
Both teams have demonstrated prodigious power this season, sporting identical .498 team slugging percentages to rank second in the Big Ten behind Illinois (.532 slug, 83 HR in 41 games). The Hoosiers have hit 62 home runs and the Boilermakers 60. Purdue is more active on the bases paths (69 steals vs. 26) and has the edge in team ERA (4.64 to 6.68) and fielding percentage (.973 to .965).
RECENT TRENDS IN THE INDIANA-PURDUE SERIES– PART 1 (Since 2007)
• Games Played in Bloomington: 24 – Indiana leads 19-5
• Games Played in West Lafayette: 17 – Purdue leads 13-4
• Neutral-Site Games: 5 – Purdue leads 4-1
• Games Played AWAY from Bloomington: 22 – Purdue leads 17-5
• Games Played AWAY from West Lafayette: 29 – Indiana leads 20-9
• All Games: 46 – Indiana leads 24-22
RECENT TRENDS IN THE INDIANA-PURDUE SERIES – PART 2 (Since 2013)
Alexander Field & Bart Kaufman Field both opened in 2013
• Games Played in Bloomington: 17 – Indiana leads 15-2
• Games Played in West Lafayette: 7 – Purdue leads 5-2
• Neutral-Site Games: None
• All Games: 24 – Indiana leads 17-7
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 24-game on-base streak; 21-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 4/29/23); 14-game on-base streak at home; 9-game hit streak in Big Ten play; reached base safely to begin a game in 7 straight contests
• Jo Stevens – 12-game hit streak in Big Ten play; 18-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 5/18/23); 5-game RBI streak in all games
• Camden Gasser – Reached base safely multiple times in 11 consecutive games; 8-game on-base streak at home
• Connor Caskenette – 8-game hit streak in Big Ten play; 13-game on-base streak in Big Ten play; hit safely, drove in a run, scored a run in 5 consecutive games (all games)
• Luke Gaffney – 7-game hit streak in Big Ten play; 14-game on-base streak in Big Ten play
• Keenan Spence – 8-game on-base streak at home
• Ty Gill – 8-game on-base streak at home
• Couper Cornblum – 97 consecutive games started (since start of 2023)
• Carter Doorn – 15 consecutive scoreless innings in Big Ten play
• Jackson Dannelley – 17 consecutive inherited runners stranded (since 5/20/23)
LEADERS DURING PURDUE’S 10-GAME BIG TEN WIN STREAK
• Luke Gaffney – .500/.538/.833, 3 2B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 16 RBI, 13 R
• Mike Bolton Jr. – .484/.636/.710, 4 2B, HR, 6 BB, 7 HBP, 7 RBI, 16 R, 6 SB
• Connor Caskenette – .366/.447/.683, 2B, 4 HR, 5 BB, HBP, 15 RBI, 12 R
• Jo Stevens – .350/.422/.775, 3B, 5 HR, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 18 RBI, 10 R, Sac, SB
• Keenan Taylor – .320/.452/.440, 3 2B, 4 BB, 2 HBP, 5 RBI, 7 R, SB
• Thomas Green – .296/.367/.444, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 4 RBI, 5 R, Sac, 2 SB
• Jordan Morales – 3 GS, 20 2/3 IP, 15 H, 4 R, 6 BB, 15 K, .197 B/Avg
• Carter Doorn – 3 App, 12 IP, 5 H, 0 R, BB, 9 K, .128 B/Avg
• Avery Cook – 5 App, 8 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 11 K, .111 B/Avg
• Jonathan Blackwell – 3 GS, 12 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 8 K, .146 B/Avg
TOP 10 IN THE BIG TEN ENTERING THE WEEKEND
• Luke Gaffney – 1st in OPS (1.225), 1st in Slugging (.727), 1st in Total Bases (120), 1st in Runs (54), T-1st in RBI (60), 2nd in Batting Avg (.412), T-2nd in Triples (3), 3rd in Hits (68), T-3rd in OBP (.497), T-10th in HR (11)
• Connor Caskenette – T-1st in RBI (60), 4th in Slugging (.628), 5th in HR (12)
• Camden Gasser – 1st in Walks (47), 1st in OBP (.541), T-3rd in Runs (49), 7th in Batting Avg (.366), 7th in Steals (15)
• Luke Wagner – T-1st in Wins (7)
• Couper Cornblum – T-2nd in Triples (3), 8th in At-Bats (177)
• Jackson Dannelley – T-2nd in Saves (5)
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 3rd in Steals (19), 10th in Runs (45)
• Jordan Morales – T-3rd in Wins (6), 8th in Innings (62), 10th in Strikeouts (56), 10th in Walks per 9 IP (2.2)
• Logan Sutter – 4th in Slugging (.661), 5th in OPS (1.112), T-5th in Doubles (15),
• Jo Stevens – 9th in OBP (.467), T-10th in Triples (2)
WEEKEND #7 OF BIG TEN PLAY
• Indiana (10-5) at Purdue (11-4)
• Ohio State (7-8) at Illinois (11-4)
• Michigan (10-5) at Michigan State (7-8)
• Nebraska (10-5) at Minnesota (6-9)
• Northwestern (2-13) at Iowa (10-8)
• Maryland (8-10) at Rutgers (3-12)
• Penn State (7-11) vs. Navy & Georgetown in Annapolis – Non-Conference
PURDUE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL TO CLOSE REGULAR SEASON AT HOME
Friday, May 3
vs. Michigan State | 5 p.m. | B1G+
Friday Fun Day
Saturday, May 4
vs. Michigan State | 2 p.m. | B1G+
Senior Day Pregame Celebration | Senior Trading Cards Giveaway
Sunday, May 5
vs. Michigan State | 1 p.m. | B1G+
Bark at the Park | Cinco de Mayo: Free tacos for the first 200 students
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue softball team (25-23, 11-9 Big Ten) enters the last weekend of the regular season with three games vs. Michigan State 17-30 (4-16 Big Ten). The games, running Friday through Sunday, will be streamed on B1G+.
The Boilermakers will celebrate the senior class of Kate Claypool, Kiara Dillon, Becca Edwards, Kiersen George, Hailey Hayes and Jade Moy on Saturday before first pitch.
RECORD-SETTING SEASON
The program record for longest Big Ten game winning streak was set (7).
Moriah Polar tied a program record for most triples by a freshman (7).
Sage Scarmardo’s 19 hit-by-pitches have set a Purdue record.
NEVER COUNT ‘EM OUT: 6TH INNING OR LATER
48% of wins this season (12 of 23) have come on runs scored in the 6th inning or later.
Meanwhile, 54.5% of wins in Big Ten Play (6 of 11) were won in such a fashion.
The game-winning run scored in the 6th inning or later came on the bat of eight different Boilermakers, proving anyone can rise to the occasion.
Among the leaders: Banks (3 runs, 1 RBI), Jones (2 runs, 2 RBI including a walk-off homer), Hailey Hayes (2 runs, 2 RBI, including a 2-run homer), Campbell (1 run, 1 RBI).
ON THE RISE: 4 BIG TEN SERIES WINS
Purdue is 4-1-1 over the last six Big Ten series.
In each of Purdue’s last four wins, Purdue has given up just one run in each game.
The team’s series sweep vs. Iowa marked the first Big Ten series win since 2018.
Purdue rode an 8-game winning streak with series wins vs. Rutgers, Iowa and Illinois and a midweek vs. Indiana St. It came just three shy of tying the program record for longest winning streak.
ON THE HUNT
Purdue is in the hunt to tie the program record for most Big Ten series wins in a season if the team completes a series sweep this weekend after wins vs. Rutgers, Iowa, Illinois and Maryland.
The Boilermakers are looking to tie a program record for most Big Ten wins in a single season (14 in 1997 and 2014).
The Boilermakers are one triple away from tying the program record of 18 (last: 2012).
THE FASTEST DUO IN THE BIG TEN
The underclassmen duo of Khloe Banks (22 SB) and Moriah Polar (19) are the fastest in the Big Ten, ranking first and second in the Big Ten in stolen bases.
PURDUE MEN’S GOLF
DENTINO ADVANCES OUT OF INDIANAPOLIS TO ADVANCE TO U.S. OPEN SECTIONAL QUALIFYING
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue fifth-year senior Nick Dentino shot a 7-under par 65 to finish second in U.S. Open local qualifying held at Broadmoor Country Club in Indianapolis, advancing to sectional qualifying at a site to be determined in early June.
Dentino posted a flawless round with five birdies, an eagle and 12 pars to finish second, two shots behind Keller Harper’s 63, to be one of five players advancing to sectionals.
Dentino, who has also qualified for two of the last three U.S. Amateurs, will now compete in “Golf’s Longest Day” at one of 10 sectional sites. Dentino cleared a 4-for-3 playoff ahead of four golfers that shot 6-under par to tie for third place.
Also of note, Kent Hsiao and Kentaro Nanayama finished 11th at 4-under par, while Luke Prall shot 3-under par to tie for 16th.
The Boilermakers will host the NCAA Men’s Golf Regional Championships on May 13 through 15 at the Kampen-Cosler Course in West Lafayette, Indiana. Tee times start at 8 a.m. ET, and admission is free.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S GOLF
NOTRE DAME MEN’S GOLF SET FOR NCAA REGIONALS IN AUSTIN
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team is set for another NCAA postseason after being selected as part of the field for regionals in 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships.
Being selected as the No. 6 seed in the Austin Regional, the Irish will compete Monday, May 13 to Wednesday, May 15 at the University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, TX.
While both Palmer Jackson and Nate Stevens qualified as individuals last year, the Irish last qualified as a team in the season prior. In 2022, the Irish finished their season at the Palm Beach Gardens NCAA Regional held at the PGA National Champion Course. The Irish finished with an 896 (+32) over the three rounds of the event. Jackson and Stevens competed in the 2023 NCAA Bath Regional at Eagle Eye Golf Club in East Lansing, MI, where Jackson and Stevens finished T20 and T29 respectively.
The Irish are looking to build off of their regular season successes as they have finished out the spring with four top-three finishes, including a win at the Johnnie-O at Sea Island. Freshman Jacob Modleski also claimed his first collegiate win at the Johnnie-O, which included a final round 65 to not only secure his individual win, but lead the team to its 10-shot victory over multiple teams ranked in the top-20.
For more information on the 2024 NCAA DI Men’s Golf Championships, click here.
Austin Regional
Hosted by Texas | The University of Texas Golf CLub
Teams (seeded in the following order):
Tennessee
Arkansas
Texas [Big 12 Conference]
Georgia
Wake Forest
Notre Dame
UNC Greensboro
Brigham Young
Utah
San Jose State
Grand Canyon [Western Athletic Conference]
Arkansas State [Sun Belt Conference]
Kansas City [The Summit League]
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
1. Gustav Frimodt, TCU
2. Luke Gutschewski, Iowa State
3. Hunter Bott, UTSA
4. Cooper Schultz, Kansas State
5. Kobe Valociek, Virginia Tech
6. Joseph Sullivan, Florida Gulf Coast
7. Erik Jansson, Jacksonville State
8. Justin Biwer, Colorado
9. Alexandre Vandermoten, Jacksonville
10. Peicheng Chen, St. John’s
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S GOLF
LAUREN BEAUDREAU SET TO COMPETE AT NCAA EAST LANSING REGIONAL
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish women’s golf team is sending graduate student Lauren Beaudreau to Michigan as she was selected to participate at regionals of the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships Monday, May 6 to Wednesday, May 8.
Beaudreau will compete in the East Lansing Regional, which is hosted by Michigan State at the Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, MI.
This is Beaudreau’s second year in a row that she has qualified for NCAA’s as she finished out the 2023 season with a 26th place finish as an individual competitor at NCAA Regionals last year.
This season she is currently ranked 97th in the nation and is leading the team with a 70.9 scoring average and has recorded four top-15 individual finishes this spring, including a pair of top-five finishes in the month of March as she took home her first collegiate win in the Bruzzy. She’s tabbed five top-5 finishes this year and all 10 of her finishes in 2023-24 have been in the top-25 individually.
For more information on the 2024 NCAA DI Women’s Golf Championships, click here.
East Lansing Regional Site
Hosted by Michigan State | Forest Akers Golf Course
Teams (seeded in the following order):
Southern California
Northwestern
Florida
Pepperdine
Michigan State
Kentucky
Denver (Summit League)
Oklahoma State
Indiana (Big Ten)
Augusta (Southland)
Illinois State (Missouri Valley)
Oakland (Horizon League)
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
Isabel Sy, Illinois
Catie Craig, Western Kentucky
Lauren Beaudreau, Notre Dame
Carmen Griffiths, Louisville
Hana Ryskova, Louisville
Kate Petrova, Evansville (Missouri Valley)
BUTLER TENNIS
DELANEY SCHURHAMER EARNS ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM HONORS
Delaney Schurhamer was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team announced by the conference on Thursday.
This is the senior’s first time receiving this BIG EAST honor. Earlier this season, Schurhamer was tabbed with BIG EAST Singles Player of the Week honors.
The Woodbury, Minn. native finished the 2024 season 16-4 overall at No. 2 singles, including wins over BIG EAST members Georgetown and Marquette. In the Bulldogs’ second meeting against the Golden Eagles, Schurhamer helped claim a singles win for the team in their hard-fought loss in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament. In doubles play, Schurhamer joined Jordan Schildcrout and the pair finished the season 11-5 overall at the No. 2 doubles spot, including a win over BIG EAST member Georgetown.
The Bulldogs finished the 2024 season with a 12-11 record overall under first-year Butler Head Coach Stephanie Wooten-Quijada.
Player of the Year
Imani Graham, Sr., Xavier (St. John’s, Fla.)*
Freshman of the Year
Emily Novikov, Georgetown
Coaching Staff of the Year
Xavier (Doug Matthews)
First Team
Olivia Wright, Jr., UConn*
Malvika Shukla, Sr., Creighton*
Hannah Smith, So., DePaul
Ami Grace Dougah, Gr., Villanova
Imani Graham, Sr., Xavier*
Anna Roggenburk, R-Sr., Xavier*
Second Team
Delaney Schurhamer, Sr., Butler
Eleanor Nobbs, Jr., DePaul
Chloe Bendetti, Gr., Georgetown
Emily Novikov, Fr., Georgetown
Emilija Kojcic, Sr., Marquette
Mouna Bouzgarrou, Gr., St. John’s
*Denotes unanimous selection
ALVARO HUETE VADILLO RECEIVES ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM HONORS
Alvaro Huete Vadillo was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team announced by the conference on Thursday.
This is Huete’s third time receiving a second team selection while at Butler. He was previously named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team in 2022 and 2023. In addition, Huete was tabbed with BIG EAST Singles Player of the Week honors earlier this season.
The Illescas, Spain native finished the 2024 season 8-15 at No. 1 singles. In doubles play, Huete teamed up with Rahulniket Konakanchi and achieved an 8-1 record at the No. 1 doubles spot. Five of their wins were over BIG EAST opponents, including conference tournament wins over Creighton and St. John’s.
The Bulldogs finished the 2024 campaign with a 10-17 record overall and 4-2 in the BIG EAST, including a win at the BIG EAST Tournament in the quarterfinals over Creighton under Head Coach Sam Miles.
Player of the Year
Jake Fellows, Sr., Georgetown (Tokyo, Japan)*
Freshman of the Year
Armando Sotelo, Fr., St. John’s (Queretaro, Mexico)*
Co-Coaching Staffs of the Year
DePaul (Matt Brothers) and Georgetown (Freddy Mesmer)
First Team
Leon Huck, Gr., DePaul*
Matteo Iaquinto, Jr., DePaul*
Pablo Torres Almeida, So., DePaul
Jake Fellows, Jr., Georgetown*
Zamaan Moledina, So., Georgetown*
Carl Gustavsson, Jr., St. John’s*
Second Team
Alvaro Huete Vadillo, 5th, Butler
Alejandro Gandini, Jr., Creighton
Blake Roegner, So., Marquette
Francisco Bascon, Gr., St. John’s
Ryota Kaneda, Jr., St. John’s
Ryan Cahill, Jr., Xavier
*Denotes unanimous selection
BUTLER BASEBALL
MUSKETEERS TO VISIT BULLDOG PARK AT THE START OF MAY
INDIANAPOLIS – The final month of the regular season is upon us and the Butler Bulldogs are prepared to host the Xavier Musketeers this weekend in Indianapolis. Game one of the three-game conference series will take place on Friday, May 3 at 3 PM. That contest will stream on FloSports.com.
Weekend Series
Friday, May 3 – 3 PM
Saturday, May 4 – 2 PM
Sunday, May 5 – 1 PM
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game 1 – RHP Tyler Banks vs. RHP Jonathan Kelly
Game 2 – LHP Ben Whiteside vs. RHP Logan Schmidt
Game 3 – RHP Nate Rosser vs. RHP Luke Hoskins
Scouting Xavier
The Musketeers are 22-22 overall and 6-6 in BIG EAST action. They collected quality wins during the non-conference slate by taking down Louisville (9-1), LSU (2-1), and Indiana State (4-2). The battle-tested Musketeers also played Clemson opening weekend and traveled to Knoxville to play Tennessee in mid-March. Xavier went 1-2 at UConn to begin BIG EAST action and won 2-of-3 at home vs. Creighton.
Most recently, Xavier won 2-of-3 at Seton Hall, but lost 2-of-3 vs. St. John’s to even their conference record. The Musketeers didn’t have a midweek matchup after the Red Storm series so they head to Indianapolis having lost their last two games.
No other BIG EAST team has hit more home runs than the Musketeers. They head into the weekend with 66, a total that ranks them 49th in the NCAA. Aedan Anderson and Matt McCormick each have a league-high 13 home runs for Xavier. Anderson slugs at a .647 clip which is second to only Butler’s Kade Lewis.
On the mound, Xavier started Jonathan Kelly, Logan Schmidt and Luke Hoskins last week. Kelly ranks second in the BIG EAST with his 2.74 ERA, and 1.17 WHIP. Schmidt has been a staple to the rotation with nine starts on the hill for Xavier. Hoskins has been a bright spot for the Musketeers this year. He ranks second in the BIG EAST in games started (11), and leads the league in both strikeout-to-walk ratio and walks allowed per nine innings. Other arms to keep an eye on include Nick Boyle and Alex Vera. Boyla has 50 strikeouts this year and Vera leads the BIG EAST in appearances with 26.
A Year Ago
Xavier swept Butler a year ago to open up BIG EAST action. The Musketeers collected three victories in Cincinnati winning 8-3, 4-2 and 13-6. Butler’s last win over Xavier came on April 17, 2021 (7-3 at Xavier). Their last win in Indianapolis came on May 6, 2018 (6-4). The 2018 team is the last Bulldog group to win a weekend series vs. their conference rival. BU also won the weekend series in 2014 and 2015.
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 10-2, 25-18
Georgetown 10-4, 29-15
St. John’s 8-4, 28-11-1
Xavier 6-6, 22-22
Creighton 4-7,31-11
Seton Hall 4-8, 21-24
Villanova 5-10, 14-28
Butler 3-9, 17-27
Parking at Bulldog Park
Fans may park in the Hinkle Fieldhouse parking lot or along the north side of 52nd Street for the games this weekend.
Bulldog Bits
– Butler is 3-9 in BIG EAST action (1-5 at home, 2-4 on the road)
– Joey Urban is batting .400 (18-45) against BIG EAST opponents
– Urban has reached base safely in 18-straight games
– Tyler Banks, Grant Brooks and Cole Graverson all have wins on the mound vs. conference foes
– Banks leads BU in starts (11) and innings pitched (50.0)
– Graverson is the strikeout leader at Butler with 43 in 38.2 innings
– Butler ranks third in the BIG EAST in hits (418) and home runs (53)
– Butler is now four home runs away from breaking the school record (56 in 1998)
– Carter Dorighi was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List last week
– Dorighi ranks 8th in the nation in hits (71)
– Dorighi on is a seven-game hitting streak
– Dorighi has 23 multi-hit games this season
– Dorighi leads the team with 41 runs scored and is tied with Lewis for the team lead in RBI’s with 41
– Kade Lewis leads the BIG EAST in slugging percentage (.656)
– Jack Moroknek leads the conference in total bases (105)
– Moroknek has hit a double in three-straight games
– BU has hit a double in 19-straight games
– Butler is 4-2 this year in 1-run games
Up Next
Butler will play at Ball State on Tuesday, May 7. The 3 PM start will stream on ESPN+.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL FIGHTING FOR POSTSEASON BERTH AT VILLANOVA
Series Information – at Villanova
DATE: Friday, May 3 – Sunday, May 5
LOCATION: Villanova, Pa. / Villanova Softball Complex
LIVE STATS: butlersports.com
LIVE VIDEO: FloSports
Full Notes
The Butler softball team will be fighting for a spot in the postseason this weekend when it travels to Villanova for a three-game BIG EAST series. The Bulldogs (20-26, 9-12 BIG EAST) are coming off a 1-2 series with Creighton and a mid-week loss to Indiana. The Wildcats (27-20, 18-3 BIG EAST) most recently went 2-1 in a series with UConn.
Butler currently sits one game behind Providence in a battle for the sixth spot in the 2024 BIG EAST Tournament. Each team has three games remaining, with the Friars traveling to Creighton this weekend. Butler owns the tiebreaker against Providence (by winning the season series, 2-1). If Butler ends the upcoming weekend with a better BIG EAST winning percentage than Providence, or if the teams are tied in the standings at the end of the weekend, Butler would claim the sixth and final spot in the postseason conference tournament.
Bulldog Bits
(as of 4-29-24)
- Ella White is second in the BIG EAST with four sacrifice flies (43rd nationally). Addition conference (national) rankings include: 38 RBI-4th, 12 doubles-6th, .621 slugging %-6th, and 8 HR-10th.
- Monique Hoosen is second in the BIG EAST (96th nationally) with 11 home runs, and her .635 slugging % is third.
- Kieli Ryan leads the BIG EAST (11th nationally) with 14 base runners caught stealing.
- Katie Petran is second in the BIG EAST (86th nationally) with 13 wins in the circle.
- Cate Lehner is second in the BIG EAST (50th nationally) with 0.20 sacrifice bunts per game and is third (41st) with 22 stolen bases.
vs. Creighton (Apr. 19-21)
- In game two, Monique Hoosen had a 3-hit, 6-RBI performance. In the third inning, her three-run double put Butler up 5-2. Then, in the sixth, her three-run home run tied the game at eight.
- Katie Petran pitched a three-hit, complete-game shutout vs. Creighton in game one of the series. She had zero walks and struck out three.
- Makena Alexander was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for her performance in the series. In Butler’s game-one, one-run victory over the Bluejays, Alexander singled to left field in the sixth inning, sending home what would ultimately be the game-winning run.
SCOUTING VILLANOVA (27-20, 18-3 BIG EAST)
All-Time Series- Villanova leads, 12-10
- 2023 (Indianapolis): Villanova 5-3/ Butler 2-0 / Villanova 7-2
2022 (Villanova): Butler 3-1 / Butler 6-0
2021 (Indianapolis): Villanova 3-0/ Villanova 4-1 / Villanova 3-0 - Villanova won, 2-0, in the 2022 BIG EAST Tournament in Rosemont, Illinois, and also in the 2021 postseason in Storrs, Connecticut, 14-5.
- 2024 BIG EAST series results:
Seton Hall (W-W-W), Providence (W-W-W), Georgetown (W-W-W), Creighton (L-W-L),
St. John’s (W-W-W), DePaul (W-W-W), UConn (W-L-W)
- Wins for the Wildcats this season also include: Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Louisville, and Central Michigan.
- Losses include: No. 6 Duke, No. 11 Alabama, No. 13 Missouri, Virginia, and South Florida.
Villanova vs. (opponents) Butler
runs: 255-189 190
hits: 335-321 329
RBI: 237-170 173
SB: 16-50 53
ERA: 3.52-5.23 5.30
Batting Leaders:
- #13 Lilly St. Jean (.352) 13-2B, 5HR, 33RBI
- #15 Tess Cites (.342) 51H, 9HR, 23RBI
- #23 Ally Jones (.315) 7-2B, 6HR, 25 RBI
- #10 Ava Franz (.301) 44H, 2-3B, 8HR, 39RBI
Pitching Leaders:
- #16 Caroline Pellicano (6-6) 2.01 ERA, 42K
- #6 Alyssa Seidler (10-3) 3.39 ERA, 103K
- #11 Kelsey White (6-5) 4.03 ERA, 39K
IUPUI SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL FALLS IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The IUPUI softball team will continue to fight for their spot in the Horizon League Tournament after falling in back-to-back games at Youngstown State on Thursday. The Jags wrap up the three-game series with a single game tomorrow at 1:00 PM.
In the opening game of the doubleheader the Jags totaled nine hits, but the Penguins knocked three home runs to earn the victory, 8-4.
Youngstown State started off the game with three runs in the bottom of the first inning, including a solo home run from Lydia Wilkerson, to take a quick 3-0 lead.
IUPUI got on the board with a solo home run from Maicey Bedrick in the top of the third inning, 3-1. The Penguins countered in the bottom half of the third with two more runs and their second home run of the game.
The Jags continued to fight, cutting the lead back to two with two runs in the fifth inning. Kendal Calvert doubled down the left field line to score Bedrick. Kennedy Cowan was then thrown out caught stealing but it allowed Calvert to score from third, 5-3.
Youngstown State added a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to 6-3.
IUPUI scored one more run in the sixth with an RBI single from Rachael Gregory before the Penguins put the game out of reach with two runs in the bottom half of the sixth frame, 8-4.
Alexa Holman took the loss in the circle for IUPUI, giving up six earned runs on 10 hits in six innings of work. Calvert led the Jags at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Bedrick also added two hits with two runs and an RBI. Morgan Gilbert, Cowan, Victoria Sivert and Gregory each added one hit in game one.
Game two was a pitching duel with both pitchers holding the game scoreless until the Penguins walked-it-off with one run in the bottom of the seventh, 1-0.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Wilkerson hit an RBI single to right center to seal the win for the Penguins.
Carly Metcalf took the loss in the circle giving up just one run on five hits with four strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work. The Jags recorded just two hits with Gilbert and Paige McPhearson each collecting a single.
With the two losses, the Jags fall to seventh in the Horizon League standings, just behind Purdue Fort Wayne. They will fight to get back into conference tournament contention with a single game against the Penguins tomorrow at 1:00 PM.
BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
FORMER MVB SETTER QUINN ISSACSON NAMED TO THE U.S. MEN’S VOLLEYBALL 2024 VNL ROSTER
MUNCIE, Ind. – Former Ball State men’s volleyball alumnus and standout setter, Quinn Isaacson (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) has earned a spot on the United State Men’s Volleyball Team 2024 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) roster.
“It’s an honor representing the USA senior men’s national team in any capacity, let alone an Olympic summer,” Isaacson said. “Getting to compete and train at the highest level possible is the biggest goal for many athletes, and this opportunity has given me just that. I’m super excited for what’s in store this summer.”
VNL is the world’s premier annual international indoor volleyball tournament. The top 16 teams in the world play four matches a week for three weeks of preliminary competition. The top eight teams at the end of the preliminaries will go to the Final Round on June 27-30 in Lódz, Poland.
Coaches will select 14 athletes from the long-list roster to compete at the United States’ VNL stops in Antalya, Türkiye (May 22-26), Ottawa, Canada (June 4-8) and Manila, Philippines (June 19-23).
Since graduating from Ball State, Isaacson has been playing professionally overseas and is currently competing for the club Exact Systems Hemarpoll Czestochowa (Poland). Isaacson recently helped his team win the French championship for the first time in the club’s history.
Isaacson was a First Team NVA/AVCA All-American as a senior at Ball State along with being named to the All-Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association First Team and All-MIVA Tournament squad. Isaacson helped the Cardinals to a historic season in 2022 which included a 23-4 overall record along with a MIVA regular and tournament championship. Ball State also went to the 2022 NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship semifinals with Isaacson as the Cardinals’ starting setter.
Following graduation, Isaacson was a member of the 2022 USA Men’s Volleyball Team that won a bronze medal at the Pan Am Cup.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
CARDINALS PLAYING AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS IN RETURN TO MAC PLAY
The Ball State baseball team returns to Mid-American Conference play with a roadtrip to Northern Illinois this weekend.
The Cardinals and Huskies are set to square off at 4 p.m. ET (3 CT) on Friday, 3 p.m. ET (2 CT) on Saturday and 2 p.m. ET (1 CT) on Sunday in DeKalb. Links to the video streams and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
Ball State (25-18-1, 12-9 MAC) couldn’t pull out a win last weekend at No. 24 NC State in a break from conference play. The setbacks didn’t effect where the Cardinals are positioned in the league standings, as they are in a tie for fourth with Kent State heading into the season’s stretch run.
The Huskies (15-29, 9-12 MAC) have dropped two in a row with a 6-5 loss at Milwaukee on Wednesday following a 2-0 setback in Sunday’s series finale at Central Michigan. Northern Illinois did take the first two games to clinch the set victory over the Chippewas.
NIU has faced common nonconference opponents Purdue (lost 11-1 on March 13), Cincinnati (took 1 of 4 games March 1-3), Illinois (got swept April 12-14) and Valparaiso (won 10-9 on April 23).
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies are in their first year under the direction of head coach Ryan Copeland, who had spent the most recent four years leading NCAA Division II member University of Illinois-Springfield.
Northern Illinois leads the MAC and ranks No. 25 nationally in fielding percentage (.979) as a team while ranking ninth in the league in scoring (5.8 runs per game) and tenth in ERA (8.54).
Senior Colin Summerhill paces the conference with 18 home runs, ranking No. 19 in NCAA Division I, and 49 RBI and ranks third in slugging percentage (.671) and sixth in total bases (106).
DANDY DOBBINS: Junior catcher Hunter Dobbins led the Ball State offense with three extra-base hits last weekend at nationally-ranked NC State to wrap up a strong April.
The Indianapolis native hit .333 in the season’s third month with five doubles, six home runs, 17 RBI and 15 runs scored in just 15 games while taking home a MAC Player of the Week honor on April 15 and being named to the Buster Posey Award Watchlist on the 19th.
STARTING STRONG: The Cardinals have combined to outscore their opponents in the first (35-20), second (45-22), third (45-37) and fourth (48-34) innings by a total of 60 runs or 1.4 per game to allow the team to play from ahead often in the early stages of games.
Ball State is 14-2-1 on the year when scoring in the first inning and and 19-6-1 when it produces the contest’s first tally.
WHEN HE’S HOT, HE’S HOT: Sophomore first baseman Blake Bevis is tied for the team lead with 12 multi-RBI games including a team-best 10 two-RBI performances while ranking second with 16 multi-hit contests (12 with two hits and four with three hits).
Bevis has notched three multi-RBI games and five multi-hit games since April 16, most recently putting together a productive performance on Friday at NC State (double, homer, two runs scored.)
SERIES HISTORY: Ball State leads NIU 67-37-1 in the all-time series after sweeping a three-game set last April 22-23 in Muncie.
The Cardinals have now won 13 straight against the Huskies and 18 of 19 meetings between the two Mid-American Conference foes. Ball State has dominated the series after Northern Illinois took the first 10 contests in the early 1970s.
TOWERING OVER THE TOP DOGS: Senior left-handed pitcher Will Jacobson struck out one and didn’t allow a hit or run in 1.1 innings in a relief appearance on Saturday at NC State.
Jacobson has combined for 4.0 shutout innings while allowing only two hits in two games against schools appearing in the D1Baseball.com Top 25 rankings the week he faced them (Feb. 24 at Coastal Carolina).
HUSOVSKY HEATING UP: Junior Nick Husovsky has increased his batting average 83 points to .333 since March 23 thanks to six multi-hit performances in 16 starts during that span.
The infielder out of Ramona, Calif., paces the Ball State offense in MAC games with a .378 average while ranking ninth in the league.
MASTERING THE MAC: Junior left-handed pitcher Merritt Beeker boasts a 5-0 record and 3.46 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 39.0 innings pitched in seven starts against Mid-American Conference teams.
The Lexington, N.C., native leads the team in wins, innings, ERA, strikeouts and batting average against (.238) vs MAC opponents, while the strikeouts number leads the league by 12 over Miami’s Peyton Olejnik’s 50.
Up Next
Ball State begins a five-game homestand with a battle against Butler on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
INDIANA STATE TRACK
SYCAMORES CLOSE REGULAR SEASON SLATE WITH BILLY HAYES INVITATIONAL
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field competes in its final meet before the MVC Outdoor Championships Friday when it makes the short trek down SR-46 to Bloomington for the Billy Hayes Invitational.
Friday’s proceedings from the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex begin at noon with field events, with the first events on the track slated for 4 p.m.
Last Time Out
Competing inside the friendly confines of the Gibson Track and Field Complex for the second straight weekend, Indiana State closed its home regular season slate with first-place finishes on both the men’s and women’s side at the Sycamore Open.
The Sycamores had multiple highlight-worthy performances on home soil, with Brooklyn Giertz-Pfaff firmly entering the NCAA East First Round qualifying mix in the pole vault and Elias Foor moving his way to the fringe of US Olympic Trials marks in the discus. Season and personal bests came by the bunches for the Trees on Saturday, with Indiana State’s athletes taking advantage of ideal weather conditions to post their best marks of the year.
As a team, Indiana State recorded 15 first-place finishes, with nine on the men’s side and six on the women’s side. The Sycamores finished with 188.5 points on the men’s side and 161 points on the women’s side.
Indiana State’s also competed at the 114th Drake Relays, with program top-10 marks being set in nearly every event the Sycamores competed in at Drake Stadium.
Sycamore relay teams accounted for seven additions to the program top-10 charts in their three days on the Blue Oval, with Indiana State also adding three program top-10 marks in individual events.
Last Chance
Friday’s meet represents the last opportunity for the Sycamores before the 2024 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships come to Terre Haute. With that comes the final opportunity for Sycamore athletes to play their way on to the championship roster.
Championship rosters are limited to 32 athletes per gender, with teams limited to a maximum of five entries per event.
Top Of The Charts
Heading into the final weekend before the MVC Outdoor Championships, Indiana State currently has 10 marks that rank first in the MVC, along with 20 additional top-three marks in the conference. Included in those marks are the top spots in the men’s and women’s pole vault and long jump.
Indiana State’s conference-leading marks heading into the weekend are:
Rachel Mehringer – 100m hurdles (13.34)
Quincy Armstrong – 400m hurdles (52.66)
Casey Hood Jr., Daunte Majors, Isiah Thomas, Tahj Johnson – 4x100m relay (39.64)
Kevin Krutsch – high jump (2.10m/6-10.75)
Will Staggs – pole vault (5.45m/17-10.50)
Brookyln Giertz-Pfaff – pole vault (4.15m/13-07.25)
Shomari Rogers-Walton – long jump (7.89m/25-10.75), triple jump (15.17m/49-09.25)
Faith Frye – long jump (5.97m/19-07.00)
Elias Foor – discus (59.51m/195-03)
All of Indiana State’s event groups (sprints/relays, hurdles, distance/mid-distance, jumps, throws, combined events) feature at least one athlete ranked in the top three of the conference in an event, with all but the combined events having multiple top-five entries in The Valley.
Sycamores on the National Stage
Entering the final stretch of the season, Indiana State is poised to send double-digit entries to the NCAA East First Round for the third straight season under program director Angela Martin.
With two weekends, including the conference championships, remaining, the Sycamores currently have 12 entries in qualifying position. To qualify for the regional round, athletes must be ranked in the top 48 in an event or on a relay team ranked in the top 24.
The Sycamores’ current marks in qualifying position are:
Rachel Mehringer – 100m hurdles (35th, 13.34)
Casey Hood Jr., Daunte Majors, Isiah Thomas, Tahj Johnson – 4x100m relay (17th, 39.64)
Kevin Krutsch – high jump (42nd, 2.10m/6-10.75)
Grace Quinlan – high jump (39th, 1.75m/5-08.75)
Will Staggs – pole vault (eighth, 5.45m/17-10.50)
Brooklyn Giertz-Pfaff – pole vault (23rd, 4.15m/13-07.25)
Shomari Rogers-Walton – long jump (fourth, 7.89m/25-10.75), triple jump (30th, 15.33m/50-03.50)
Brett Norton – shot put (30th, 18.31m/60-01.00)
Elias Foor – discus (10th, 59.51m/195-03), hammer throw (39th, 62.16m/203-11)
Lillian Gibbs – javelin (40th, 45.32m/148-08)
Top-25 Squads
One thing that has propelled Indiana State back to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference in recent years is depth, and this year’s Sycamores are no different. Indiana State features seven different groups ranked in the top 25 nationally in the latest #EventSquad rankings.
Men’s long jump – 16th
Men’s shot put – 16th
Women’s heptathlon – 17th
Women’s pole vault – 20th
Men’s steeplechase – 22nd
Women’s 100m hurdles – 25th
Women’s discus – 25th
The Sycamores also have two more groups ranked in the top 40 nationally, those being the men’s hammer throw (26th) and men’s pole vault (31st).
Up Next
Indiana State sets its sights on the 2024 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which the Sycamores will host May 10-12 at the Gibson Track and Field Complex.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SYCAMORES OPEN VALLEY HOME STAND WITH THREE-GAME SERIES AGAINST BELMONT
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State begins its final home stand of the 2024 season this weekend as the Sycamores return to Missouri Valley Conference play to host Belmont with a three-game series running May 3-5 at Bob Warn Field.
Game times for the weekend include a 6:30 p.m. ET first pitch on Friday, while Saturday’s contest will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday’s series finale is slated for a 1 p.m. start time. All three games will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Indiana State Baseball Weekend Promotions
May 3 – Postgame Fireworks Show (sponsored by Country Financial), Trading card giveaway, set 4 of 5, sponsored by Refreshment Services Pepsi for the First 100 Fans, Forest T-Shirt Giveaway to members of the ISU Forest
May 4 – Star Wars Day/Lightsaber Keychain Giveaway, Kids Run the Bases Postgame, State Dance Marathon/Riley Member Throws Out First Pitch
May 5 – Kids Club Carnival (starts at noon) with an appearance by Sycamore Sam
The Sycamores (31-10, 14-4) head into the weekend series looking to keep a 16-series conference winning streak alive dating back to the 2022 season after taking two of three this past weekend in Carbondale, Ill. against Southern Illinois. The Sycamores have posted a 40-7-1 overall record in Valley competition over the stretch and hold a two-game lead in the conference standings heading into the final month of the regular season.
ISU currently leads Evansville (12-6) and UIC (11-7) atop the Valley standings with three weeks to play in conference competition. Murray State (9-9), Southern Illinois (9-9), Belmont (9-9), and Illinois State (9-9) all sit tied for fourth, while Missouri State (7-11) currently holds the final spot in the tournament field if the regular season ended today.
The Sycamores built their conference lead following their wins this past weekend at Southern Illinois. Indiana State fell in the series opener against the Salukis dropping a 3-2 contest on Friday night, before rebounding back with a 9-7 win on Saturday and 7-2 win on Sunday afternoon.
The Sycamores hit .232 as a team over the series against the Salukis paced by Luis Hernandez (.462) and Randal Diaz (.357), while Grant Magill (.333) and Parker Stinson (.333) were also among the team leaders. Indiana State outscored the Salukis 18-12 over the three games with Magill homering twice. The Sycamores connected on 23 hits with eight extra-base hits over the series.
The ISU pitching staff bounced back from a Friday night loss as Brennyn Cutts and Luke Hayden led a unit that posted a 3.81 ERA over 26.0 innings. The Sycamores posted an 18:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio while limiting the Salukis to just a .257 batting average.
Indiana State looks to bounce back from a midweek defeat this past Tuesday in Champaign as the Sycamores fell to the host Illini at Illinois Stadium, 21-11. Parker Stinson homered twice and drove in seven RBIs, while Luis Hernandez connected on a pair of RBI doubles in the evening contest as Indiana State fell to 5-2 against the Big Ten in the 2024 season.
Indiana State was ranked in all five major NCAA Division I polls for the second time in the 2024 season this week as the Sycamores were recognized in the D1Baseball (No. 24), Baseball America (No. 24), Perfect Game (No. 14), NCBWA (No. 20) and USA Today (No. 22) polls.
The Sycamores enter the weekend sitting just outside the top-10 in the NCAA Rating Percentage Index (RPI) standings sitting at No. 11 overall. ISU boasting the No. 25 non-conference strength of schedule and No. 62 overall strength of schedule through 41 games. The Sycamores boast an 20-9 record in road or neutral site games with their 20 wins away from Terre Haute the most in the NCAA Division I through April 29.
Luis Hernandez (.374), Dominic Listi (.360), Randal Diaz (.329), and Parker Stinson (.310) lead an Indiana State offense that his connecting at a .288 clip from the plate in the 2024 season. Grant Magill (.279), and Adam Pottinger (.276) have also approached the .300 mark on the year and continue to sit among the everyday leaders on the team.
Mike Sears (15) paces four different Sycamores to hit double-digit home runs in the 2024 season marking the first time ISU has accomplished the feat since the 1987 season. Parker Stinson (13), Luis Hernandez (12), and Randal Diaz (10) have also hit the mark on the year making the Sycamores one of two teams in the MVC to have four players hit the mark on the year.
The Sycamore pitching staff continues to pace the Valley and sit among the nation’s best with a 4.50 ERA over 354.0 innings pitched on the year. The Indiana State staff has had sixteen different pitchers combine to post a 411:178 strikeout-to-walk ratio while limiting opponents to a .242 batting average on the year.
The numbers have been even more impressive in Missouri Valley play this season with the Sycamores hitting .298 as a team sitting second in team home runs (33), second in RBIs (129), and first in runs scored (135). Magill (.382) has been the team’s hitting leader in conference play, while Hernandez paces the team with 28 hits, while leading the Valley with 29 RBIs.
The ISU pitching staff has post together a 3.22 team ERA in conference competition over 159.1 innings pitched. The Sycamores have posted a 187:87 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while allowing opponents to hit just .208 from the plate. Cam Edmonson (0.96 ERA), Brennyn Cutts (1.35 ERA), Luke Hayden (2.91 ERA), and Jared Spencer (2.95 ERA) are all among the top-10 in Valley play this season in ERA.
The Sycamore defense has also put together another strong campaign in conference play leading the Valley with a .986 fielding percentage over 18 games.
Scouting the Belmont Bruins
Belmont has posted a 22-22 overall record heading into the weekend with a 9-9 mark in Missouri Valley play through the first six weekends of conference play. The Bruins are coming off a series win against Bradley taking two of the three contests against the Braves at E.S. Rose Park with Belmont securing the series with a 6-5 walk-off win in the 10th inning.
Belmont currently sits in a four-way tie for fourth overall in the conference standings with their Valley schedule highlighted by a road sweep at Murray State and series wins at Valparaiso and against Bradley, while falling in series against Evansville, UIC, and Southern Illinois. The Bruins claimed their third series win on Sunday afternoon as Brodey Heaton connected on a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to secure the series clinching victory over Bradley.
The Bruins were selected sixth overall in the Missouri Valley Baseball preseason poll receiving 40 total points in the poll after a 27-33 mark in the 2023 season including a 10-17 record in conference competition. Belmont returned all of their starting lineup and 92% of their at-bats from last year featuring seven seniors, led by first baseman Brodey Heaton, Mason Landers, and Sam Slaughter. The pitching staff saw 85% of their inning and strikeout totals return this season headlined by key starters Dominic Baratta, Jordan Zuger, Joe Ruzicka, and Will Pryor, as well as relievers Ethan Harden and Jett Thielke.
Landers leads four Bruins hitting .300 or higher on the 2024 season with a .356 batting average to go with a team-high 63 hits, 17 home runs, and 50 RBIs. Slaughter is hitting .331 from the plate with 53 hits and a team-high 15 stolen bases, while Jack Rando (.322) and Heaton (.311) are also among the team’s hitting leaders. Heaton is the second Bruin with double-digit home runs with 11 and leads Belmont with 11 doubles.
Blake Cuiffetelli (2-3, 6.32 ERA), Barratta (3-4, 7.10 ERA), and Joe Ruzicka (3-4, 5.33 ERA) are in the expected rotation for the weekend with the trio combining for 23 starts overall on the season. Zuger has made 22 appearances out of the bullpen for Belmont as the staff has combined for a 5.99 ERA over 386.1 innings on the mound.
Series History
Indiana State is 6-0 all-time against Belmont dating back to the series opener back in the 2014 season. The teams met twice in nonconference competition before the Bruins joined the Missouri Valley in the 2023 season.
Last year, Indiana State completed a three-game sweep at Belmont in the 2023 season, and then topped the Bruins a fourth time in the Missouri Valley Championships held at Bob Warn Field. The Sycamores outscored the Bruins 27-6 over the four games and posted a team .306 batting average with 16 extra-base hits.
Josue Urdaneta (.412) and Mike Sears (.400) combined for 13 hits, three doubles, and six RBIs over 2 at-bats in the series as the duo consistently got on base in the series against the Bruins. Randal Diaz (.333) and Keegan Watson (.333) were also among the team’s hitting leaders over the series while Adam Pottinger and Parker Stinson both homered.
The Indiana State pitching staff combined to post a 1.03 ERA over the 35.0 innings on the mound. The Sycamores posted a 35:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while allowing Belmont to hit just .217 from the plate. Connor Fenlong picked up two wins in the series including a complete-game shutout at the MVC Championships. Jared Spencer (0.00) posted a pair of saves out of the bullpen.
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
SYCAMORES WRAP UP REGULAR SEASON AT MISSOURI STATE
TERRE HAUTE, Ind.- The Sycamores will travel to Springfield, Missouri this weekend to compete in their final MVC series of the season, where play begins on Friday, May 3 at 3 p.m ET. This weekend’s schedule against Missouri State has been altered due to forecasted inclement weather. The new schedule is listed below.
Friday, May 3 – Doubleheader at 3:00 p.m ET & 6:00 p.m ET.
Saturday, May 4 – Single game at 3:00 p.m ET.
Indiana State (18-28, 6-15) is coming off of an 0-3 weekend where they fell to Southern Illinois in a three-game MVC series. The Sycamores are fourth in the MVC with a .263 batting average, which consists of 313 hits, 169 runs, 50 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, and 150 RBIs.
Missouri State (16-29, 12-12) is coming off of a 2-1 weekend, where they claimed the series against Evansville. In MVC games, the Bears lead the conference with 29 home runs as they have six players batting over .340 in conference action, which includes five starters.
The Bears lead the all time series 73-31 over the Sycamores. Indiana State won the most recent matchup with a score of 6-5 last season, where they claimed the series and gave the Sycamores their 14th victory, most in program history as a member of the MVC. During this game, the Sycamores also set a season high in hits, with 13.
Sycamore Standouts:
Abi Chipps leads the Sycamores and is ranked third in the conference with a .358 batting average, and second with 53 hits. Chipps also records one double, one triple, six RBIs, 29 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases this season. Last Sunday, Chipps went 2-3, where she recorded two of the three hits for the Sycamores on Senior day.
Isabella Henning is second in the MVC in doubles, with 15 and has a .0468 on base percentage, and a .556 slugging percentage in the 2024 season.
Kenzie Cornwell has a current nine game reached base streak, with a .294 batting average in 109 at bats this season.
Kennedy Shade leads the Sycamores in home runs, with six. Abby Robakowski records four homers this season, Isabella Henning with 3, Danielle Henning, Livi Colip, Bri Marx, Haley Webb, and Randi Jo Pryor, each with one.
In the circle:
Hailey Griffin (6-6) leads the Sycamores pitching staff with a 3.45 ERA, in 101 innings of work. Griffin has been named player of the week two times this season for her performances against Murray State, and in the Governors Classic. Griffin led ISU to claim the series 2-1 after posting a 2-0 record on the week with a 0.00 ERA. The Sycamore right-hander went 11.2 innings posting 12 strikeouts and four walks to secure both wins against the Racers. Griffin posted a perfect 2-0 week in the Governors Classic tournament earlier this season, which included her first collegiate no-hitter in leading ISU to a 3-2 mark.
Scouting Missouri State:
Annie Mueller was named the MVC Player of the Week on Tuesday. Mueller broke the Missouri State single-season home run record last weekend (14), and RBI (46), where she has homered in her last six games. Mueller records a .310 batting average this season, with 17 home runs and 48 RBIs.
Gracie Johnston is ranked 4th nationally and first in the MVC with seven saves on the season in 124.2 innings of work. Johnston has struck out 59 batters in the 2024 season.
Up Next:
Indiana State will travel to Normal, Illinois next week to compete in the MVC tournament on May 8-11.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE TRACK
MASTODONS PREPPED FOR HORIZON LEAGUE OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne track & field team will compete for league titles this weekend at the 2024 Horizon League Outdoor Championships.
Horizon League Outdoor Championships
When: Friday, May 3 – Sunday, May 5
Where: Rochester Hills, Mich. | Oakland Track & Field Complex
Meet Info:Link
Live Results:Link
Entries:Link (PDF)
ESPN+:Friday (7:15 PM ET) | Saturday (2:45 PM ET) | Sunday (11:45 AM ET)
Women’s Storylines:
Jai Reed – Ranked first in the 100 meters and fourth in the women’s 200 meters, she will be looking to score for the first time at an outdoor championship. She will also run in the 4×100 and 4×400.
Ava Genovese – Entered in the 800 and 1500 after taking second in the 3000 at indoors.
Riley Tate – Will run both the 5000 and 10000. She’s the top ranked athlete in the 10K and third in the 5K.
Jesseca Hudson-Turpin – Will run four events (100 hurdles, 400 hurdles, 4×100 and 4×400) and ranks in the top five in all of them.
Haylee Hile – Top freshman in the 3000 steeplechase, and will also compete in the 5K.
Louiza Kruiswijk – Fourth in the long jump and second in the triple jump entering the championships.
Ali Sparks – Won the Horizon League Indoor Championships Field Athlete Top Performer, returns to the outdoor meet in the shotput, discus and hammer. She is No. 1 in the hammer entering the meet.
Dylan Kirkwood – The 2023 Outdoor Champion in the heptathlon will also compete in the 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles, 4×100 and 4×400 this weekend. She is one of four Mastodons in the heptathlon.
Ellie Zagel – Freshman competing in both the heptathlon and javelin. She is third in both events entering the meet.
Lia Rivers – Will compete in the shot put (ranked third) and hammer.
Men’s Storylines:
Ezra Lewellen – Ranked third in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is also on the 4×100 and 4×400 relay squads.
Jonas Morris – Ranked third in the 400. It will be a busy week for Morris, as he is also in the 200 and both relays.
Isaiah Smith – Freshman entered in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4×100. Ranked fourth in the 100.
Austin Hall – Will run the 5K and 10K. Ranked fifth in the 10K.
Harrison Niswander – Busy weekend, in both the 3000 steeplechase and 5000 meters. Ranked fourth in the 3000 steeplechase.
Asher Walden – Enters the championships second in the hammer throw.
Aaron Martin, Viktor Ertelt, Kai Auernheimer, Brevin Miller and Alex Evans – A busy javelin field with the ‘Dons holding four of the top five spots entering the league meet.
Mastodons in the Top Five in the league entering the Championships
Riley Tate
1st – 10,000m (35:04.73)
3rd – 5,000m (16:38.54)
Jai Reed
1st – 100m (11.61)
4th – 200m (24.62)
Aaron Martin
1st – Javelin (66.03m)
Ali Sparks
1st – Hammer Throw (52.62m)
Ezra Lewellen
3rd – 100m (10.50)
3rd – 200m (21.59)
Louiza Kruiswijk
2nd – Triple Jump (12.09m)
4th – Long Jump (5.86m)
Jesseca Hudson-Turpin
3rd – 400m Hurdles (1:01.96)
4th – 100m Hurdles (13.87)
Jonas Morris
3rd – 400m (48.30)
Asher Walden
2nd – Hammer Throw (53.03m)
Viktor Ertelt
2nd – Javelin (63.39m)
Ellie Zagel
3rd – Javelin (37.80m)
3rd – Heptathlon (4620 points)
Isaiah Smith
4th – 100m (10.58)
Lia Rivers
3rd – Shot Put (13.86m)
Harrison Niswander
4th – 3,000m Steeple (9:22.63)
Kai Auernheimer
4th – Javelin (53.87m)
Austin Hall
5th – 10,000m (29:52.75)
Zyler Johnson
5th – Hammer throw (50.03m)
Brevin Miller
5th – Javelin (52.23m)
Relays
3rd – Men’s 4 x 100m Relay (41.74)
3rd – Women’s 4 x 100m Relay (47.10)
3rd – Men’s 4 x 400m Relay (3:22.75)
4th – Women’s 4 x 400m Relay (3:59.96)
Martin Earns Horizon League Award
Aaron Martin was named the 2024 Horizon League Alfreeda Goff Outdoor Track & Field Men’s Athlete of the Year. His league leading mark of 66.03 meters in the javelin is a school record.
2024 #HLTF Outdoor Athlete of the Week Winners
Men’s Runner of the Week
April 16 – Ezra Lewellen, Purdue Fort Wayne
Women’s Runner of the Week
April 23 – Jai Reed, Purdue Fort Wayne
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
March 26 – Brevin Miller, Purdue Fort Wayne
April 23 – Aaron Martin, Purdue Fort Wayne
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
SCHEDULE ADJUSTED FOR HOME SERIES WITH MILWAUKEE
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Mastodons (15-28, 8-13) will host Milwaukee (14-28, 9-12) this weekend in Fort Wayne for a three game Horizon League series. Note the adjusted weekend schedule to the forecast of rain on Friday.
Game Day Information
When:
Saturday, May 4 | 1:00 p.m. ET – Doubleheader
Sunday, May 5 | 1:00 p.m. ET
(schedule may still be adjusted)
Where:
Saturday: Indiana Tech’s Warrior Baseball Field | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Sunday: Mastodon Field | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Live Stats:Link
Weather:
Saturday: High of 78/low of 56
Sunday: High of 73/low of 57
Series History: Milwaukee leads 14-12. Purdue Fort Wayne took one of three games back in March when they traveled to Milwaukee. The Mastodons scored five runs in the sixth inning and Kevin Fee shut down the Panthers offense with 4.2 scoreless innings to get the win.
Probable Starters:
Purdue Fort Wayne: RHP Mac Ayres, RHP Carter Sabol, RHP Brody Fine
Milwaukee: RHP Luke Hansel, LHP Adrian Montilva, TBD
Scouting the Panthers: Milwaukee took two of three games this past weekend against Northern Kentucky. They’re 9-12 in the Horizon League and one game ahead of Purdue Fort Wayne in the league standings. Luke Hansel and Adrian Montilva are two of the best pitchers in the Horizon League ranking second and third in lowest ERA behind only Kevin Fee.
‘Dons & Ends:
– Jacob Walker leads the team with 55 hits and 16 doubles ranking in the league’s top 10 in both categories.
– Kevin Fee (3.12) leads the Horizon League with a 3.05 ERA. Carter Sabol joins Fee as two of five pitchers with an ERA under 6 and two of seven in the league holding opposing hitters below a .300 average.
– Kevin Fee is also tied for the league lead with five wins.
– Jacob Walker leads the ‘Dons with 17 multi-hit games.
– Ben Higgins has reached base in 12 straight games.
– The ‘Dons are 54-of-62 in stolen base attempts this season.
– Ten Mastodons have thrown 20 or more innings this season.
Abort Launch: The Mastodons pitching staff stifled a highly-ranked Toledo offense last week. Toledo ranks 29th in the nation for home runs, but in a 13 inning contest, four different Mastodon pitchers held them to just five hits and no homers.
He Gets On Base: Ben Higgins has reached base in 12 straight games coming into the weekend. In league games, Higgins leads the team with 17 walks and is second on the team with a .469 on-base percentage.
Answering the Call: As Kevin Fee has set the program record for career pitching appearances with 82. Fee moved ahead of Adam Feris (2002-05) on the pitching appearance leaderboard. Feris finished his career with 78 visits to the mound.
Up Next: The ‘Dons host Bowling Green in their final midweek matchup of the season on Wednesday (May 8) in a 3 p.m. start.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL HOSTS OAKLAND FOR SENIOR WEEKEND
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne softball hosts Oakland this weekend for a three-game series. The Mastodons will honor Alyson Quinlan, Brayden Lickey, Epiphany Hang and Brooke Wintlend for Senior Day prior to Saturday’s doubleheader.
Game Day Information
Who: Oakland Golden Grizzlies
When: Friday, May 3, 1 PM | Saturday, May 4, 1 PM (DH)
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Purdue Fort Wayne Softball Field
Live Stats:Link
Watch: None
Know Your Foe
The Golden Grizzlies are 22-17 and 14-6 in the Horizon League. Oakland dropped two games against Robert Morris in its last Horizon League series, the first HL series loss of the season. Brooklyn Pitz is batting a team-best .388 in league play and Reese Ruhlman is slugging.646 in league, which ranks fourth in the HL. 2023 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year Sydney Campbell has a 1.48 ERA against the league, which is the best among all league pitchers.
Series History
Oakland leads the series against the Mastodons 22-16. It dates back to the Mastodons’ first year of Division I softball in 2002. The Mastodons are better at home, sporting a 10-8 record against the Golden Grizzlies in the Summit City. Oakland took two of the three-game series last season in Michigan, but the ‘Dons had more runs over the course of the series.
Special Teams, Special Plays, Special Players of the Week
Grace Hollopeter and Alanah Jones picked up Horizon League Player and Pitcher of the Week awards on Tuesday (April 30) for their performances at Green Bay. Hollopeter batted .545 and slugged 1.364 with a grand slam while Jones threw 15.2 innings without giving up an earned run with two wins.
Hollopeter Hoopla
Grace Hollopeter has 14 doubles this season, the second-most in the Horizon League and 11 home runs, the most in the league. Hollopeter is slugging .690, which is best in the HL. Eight of her 11 home runs came in April.
Rudd Light, Green Light
In league play, Aglaia Rudd has a .437 batting average and is slugging .662 with 31 hits, 10 doubles and 18 RBIs. All of those marks are top-five in the Horizon League and the most among freshmen.
A Lineup Not Out of Left Field
Three Mastodons have started all 44 games this season in the same field position: McKenna Minton (left field), Gwen McMenemy (right field), Bailey Manos (center field).
Perfect Play
McKenna Minton and Epiphany Hang both hold a 1.000 fielding percentage, the only two in the Horizon League still perfect this season.
You’re Out
Alanah Jones is third in the Horizon League with 119 strikeouts this season.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne took 2-of-3 from Green Bay on the road last weekend, scoring 23 runs over the three contests.
Up Next
Depending on results from Purdue Fort Wayne’s series with Oakland and IUPUI’s series at Youngstown State, the Mastodons could earn a berth to the Horizon League Championship for the first time.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
VALLEY SERIES AT VALPARAISO ON TAP FOR UE BASEBALL THIS WEEKEND
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The May stretch run begins this weekend for the University of Evansville baseball team, as the Purple Aces will travel north for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series against long-time rival Valparaiso at Emory G. Bauer Field in Valparaiso, Indiana. The series begins Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. and all three games of the series can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS.
Evansville will bring a 25-19 overall record and 12-6 MVC mark into the month of May. UE rallied for a pair of two-run home runs in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday night to pick up a 7-6 come-from-behind victory at Southeast Missouri State to cap a 14-3 month of April. Overall, Evansville has won 16 out of its last 20 games entering the month of May, and UE sits in second place in the MVC, just two games back of league-leading Indiana State.
Graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger was named the MVC Player of the Week on Monday after a week in which he hit .692 for the Purple Aces. Shallenberger also hit the first of UE’s two ninth-inning home runs on Tuesday at SEMO, as he will enter this weekend’s series leading the MVC in batting average (.391), on-base percentage (.537) and slugging percentage (.733). Senior shortstop Simon Scherry has also been swinging a hot bat for UE of late, as he has hit an even .500 (8-for-16) over the last four games, and he will enter this weekend’s series just one hit shy of tying former Purple Ace Robbie Minor (2004-07) for tenth place on UE’s career hit chart with 248 hits.
Valparaiso will enter this weekend’s series at 13-29 overall and 5-13 in the MVC. The Beacons are currently tied for ninth in the Valley standings, and sit two games back of Missouri State for the eighth and final place in the upcoming MVC Baseball Tournament set for May 21-25 at UE’s Charles H. Braun Stadium. Outfielder Alex Ryan currently leads Valparaiso offensively with a .295 batting average, while fellow outfielder Kyle Schmack is not far behind at .290, while launching a team-best 14 home runs. While the Beacons enter the weekend last in the league with a .257 team batting average, Valpo exploded for 20 runs last Sunday in a 20-0 victory at UIC. Graduate right-hander Bryce Konitzer tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout in the victory to earn MVC Pitcher of the Week honors.
All-time, Valparaiso leads the series over Evansville, 41-27, although the Purple Aces hold a 16-9 series edge since moving to Division I in 1977. Last year, Evansville won two out of three games over the Beacons at home. UE has not played at Valparaiso since the 2021 season.
Freshman left-hander Kenton Deverman (6-1, 3.89 ERA) will get the start in Friday’s series opener. Deverman currently ranks second among NCAA freshmen in victories with six. He is expected to be opposed by Valparaiso right-hander Kaleb Krier (1-5, 8.10 ERA).
EVANSVILLE TRACK
UE TRACK AND FIELD GEARS UP FOR MVC’S AT BILLY HAYES INVITATIONAL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The University of Evansville track and field team will wrap up its regular season on Friday up I-69 in the Billy Hayes Invitational.
The Purple Aces head into their final tune-up before the MVC Outdoor Championships this Friday starting at 11 a.m. Throughout six meets during the outdoor season, UE has set 14 new program records along with dozens of PRs from its young roster. Almost two-thirds of Evansville’s roster during the outdoor season are student-athletes in their first year of collegiate athletics, including standouts Nicole Prauchner (Neuhofen an der Ybbs, Austria), Eilén Brenne (Skein, Norway), Rafael Rodriguez (Segovia, Spain), and Samuel Lea (Worchester, England).
In their final meet of the regular season, the Aces will look to break a few more program records as they did last weekend. At the Rick Erdmann Twilight meet last Saturday, UE set four new program records including Brenne in the 800-meter race and in the 1500-meter race. Brenne set a PR 2:10.67 in the 800-meter while Prauchner finished the 1500 in 4:30.16. Lea reset his program record in the men’s 5000-meter race at 14:58.99 for a seventh-place finish. While Evansville’s final program record in Kentucky came in the field from junior thrower Kaitlyn Sansone (Fairfield, Ohio / Mercy McAuley HS). Sansone improved her women’s javelin record by over a meter with a throw of 32.36 meters for second place in the event.
It was a standout meet for the Aces as along with four new program records, UE also had 12 separate podium finishes across 21 events. With those podium finishes, Evansville had five athletes take the top spot in three track events and two field events. Freshman sprinter Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS) ran an outdoor season-best 10.74 seconds in the men’s 100-meter dash to take the gold.
The Aces two other first-place finishes on the track came in the men’s and women’s hurdles. In the women’s 100-meter hurdles, sophomore Kate Walke (Batesville, Ind. / Oldenburg Academy) was half a second shy of her program record, finishing the event in 16.07 seconds for the top spot. While freshman Woody Burrell (Cedarburg, Wis. / Cedarburg HS) took first in the men’s 400-meter hurdles at 57.60 seconds.
In the field, UE earned first-place finishes in the men’s discus and the men’s hammer throw events. Graduate throwers Jaden Hayes (Huntingburg, Ind. / Southridge HS) and Zach Dove (Princeton, Ind. / Princeton Community HS) had the best throws of the day in the two events at 48.77 meters in the discus throw for Hayes and 50.87 meters in the hammer throw for Dove.
On Friday, Evansville will begin its day at 11 a.m. with the women’s hammer throw and the men’s javelin throw. The Aces runners will hit the track at 3 p.m. with the women’s 100-meter hurdles preliminary heats.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
USI CONCLUDES REGULAR SEASON AT WIU, LOOKING TO IMPROVE POSTSEASON SEEDING
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball concludes the 2024 regular season with a weekend trip to Western Illinois University for the final three-game series of Ohio Valley Conference play. Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled for an 11 a.m. start with Sunday’s series finale slated for a Noon first pitch in Macomb, Illinois.
Southern Indiana (20-19, 14-10 OVC) has already solidified its berth in next week’s OVC Tournament in Peoria, Illinois, with one spot left to clinch in the field of eight. However, the Screaming Eagles look to improve its seeding for postseason play. Entering the weekend, USI is in fourth place in the OVC standings and could finish as high as third. Western Illinois (15-32, 4-20) has been eliminated from postseason contention.
The Screaming Eagles visit the Leathernecks having won four of their last six games, coming off back-to-back OVC series wins against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Tennessee State University. Last weekend, Southern Indiana bookended its final home series of 2024 with victories against Tennessee State, as each squad tallied 13 runs in the three-game set. USI won 5-4 in the opener, was shut out 7-0 in the middle game, and then grabbed the rubber match by a score of 8-2. In the series finale win on Senior Day, senior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) went 3-3 with a USI season-high six RBIs, four of which came on a first-inning grand slam.
Last weekend’s series victory allowed USI to surpass its 2023 win total in OVC play, as the Eagles recorded 13 conference wins in their first-ever season in the OVC last year. USI is up to 14 OVC wins this year. A series win at Western Illinois would push USI past its overall wins total from a season ago, claiming 21 overall wins in 2023.
Individually, senior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) leads the team with a .330 batting average, five points ahead of sophomore outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Indiana) at .325. Stapleton paces the team with 22 runs. Kihega is hitting .303 and tops the squad with four home runs, including two grand slams, and 26 RBIs. Fair is second in RBIs with 21. The senior is also riding a team-best five-game hitting streak and seven-game on-base streak.
Junior hurler Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) leads the pitching staff with a 17-8 record and a 1.72 ERA. Newman’s 201 strikeouts and 183.2 innings pitched top the OVC and would rank top 10 in the nation, but USI does not qualify officially for NCAA stat rankings as a reclassifying program. At the plate, Newman is also batting over .300.
It has been a tough first season for Western Illinois in the Ohio Valley Conference this season, going into the weekend 17 games below .500 and with only four conference victories so far. Before a 4-3 non-conference win on Tuesday against the University of Missouri Kansas City, the Leathernecks had dropped 11 consecutive games. Their last OVC win came on April 5 in a 3-0 result against SIUE.
Hitting .243 collectively, Western Illinois is led at the dish by sophomore outfielder Rylee Boone, who is batting .316 on the campaign. Senior infielder Bella Alvarez, who is batting .280, has been the top run producer for the Leathernecks with 26 RBIs. Alvarez has 10 doubles and three home runs.
Senior pitcher Emily Price fronts the pitching staff for WIU with an 8-18 record and a 2.68 ERA. Price has 121 strikeouts in 33 appearances, including 22 starts, and 138.2 innings of work.
This weekend’s series can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL
CARSON SCHWIEGER TO JOIN TWIN BROTHER, PLAY FOR VALPO BASKETBALL PROGRAM
The venue will change from the basketball hoop in the driveway to the Athletics-Recreation Center and the circumstances will alter from a pickup game to a Division-I practice, but the stakes will remain the same with family bragging rights on the line.
The Valparaiso University men’s basketball program and head coach Roger Powell Jr. have announced the addition of 6-foot-8 forward Carson Schwieger (Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest [Wright State / Link Year]), who will join the program for the 2024-25 season with four years of eligibility remaining. He’ll play alongside his fraternal twin brother Cooper, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year.
“We would play one-on-one a lot growing up,” Carson said. “Everyone always asks who wins; I tell them it just depends on the day. It wasn’t a whole lot of fun to play against each other because he would know what I’m going to do just by looking at me.”
While the one-on-one battles will continue during practice, the most important factor of this reunion is that the Schwieger twins will once again be something they’ve been for much of their basketball life – teammates.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Carson said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun; we play really well together. I’ve played with him my whole life. We know where each other are on the court.”
Carson redshirted during his first collegiate campaign in 2023-24 at Wright State University. The Raiders went 18-14 and 13-7 in the Horizon League.
“Redshirting was very beneficial,” Carson said. “I put on 15-20 pounds. Not playing benefited me because I was eating, lifting and getting stronger. It was also beneficial to be able to sit there and watch games. You learn a lot by being able to sit and watch. I grew both mentally and physically this past year.”
Carson and Cooper were teammates at Link Year Prep during the 2022-23 season, when Carson averaged 12.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. He shot 49 percent for the floor and 43 percent from the 3-point arc.
“That was a fun year,” Carson said. “I still keep in touch with some of my teammates from there; we have a group chat and talk every now and then. Our prep team was so tall; we had a couple of seven footers and several kids that were 6-11, my brother was 6-9 and another big kid was 6-8. That forced me to play the 3 after playing the 5 my whole life. That helped with my ability to shoot the ball because I took a lot of 3s.”
The year at Link provided some of Carson’s favorite basketball memories.
“We would scrimmage the academy team, which had some of the highest-level recruits and players in the country, and playing them was always fun,” Carson said. “We were right there and lost on a buzzer-beater to a team of all four-star and five-star recruits.”
Before Link Year, the Schwieger brothers were high school teammates at Blue Valley Southwest in Overland Park, Kan., where Carson averaged 9.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a senior, helping the Timberwolves advance to the state quarterfinals.
“I’m a solid shooter for being 6-8,” Carson said. “I’m a stretch 4, similar to Cooper. I’m definitely a better rebounder than he is; I’ll get you some more rebounds and I’m a little bit more physical than he is. I want to get better and I want to win. I want to make sure that as a team, we’re winning games. I’m not a selfish player and I try to make the right decisions when I’m out there.”
In addition to the family reunion, the opportunity to play for Valpo’s coaching staff was a key factor in Carson’s decision.
“The coaching staff was one of the main factors; I like them all,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of playing experience and they know what it’s like to win. They were a big part of the process. They made me feel wanted and you want to go where you’re wanted, so that’s why I chose Valpo.”
Like his brother, Carson is pursuing a degree in business. The twins have an older brother, who is shorter than Cooper and Carson at 6-2 and plays basketball recreationally. Their parents are very supportive of their basketball endeavors. Their stepmother Denise Guth is a Valparaiso University graduate and was part of the women’s soccer program’s first two seasons in 1993 and 1994 as a goalkeeper. Away from the court, Carson enjoys video games, hanging out with friends and going to the gym.
“Carson is 6-foot-8 and can really shoot with a big body,” Powell said. “He adds size to our program and provides a high level of character. We’re excited about his physicality and rebounding ability to go along with his team-first mentality and winning attitude. It is special to have a set of twins and continue the Schwieger legacy in our program.”
VALPO BASEBALL
SATURDAY’S ALUMNI TAILGATE TO HIGHLIGHT WEEKEND SERIES VS. EVANSVILLE
Evansville (25-19, 12-6 MVC)
at Valparaiso (13-29, 5-13 MVC)
Emory G. Bauer Field (500) | Valparaiso, Ind.
Friday, May 3, 3 p.m. CT – RHP Kaleb Krier
Saturday, May 4, 1 p.m. CT – RHP Connor Lockwood
Sunday, May 5, 1 p.m. CT – RHP Bryce Konitzer
Next Up in Valpo Baseball: With nine games remaining in the Missouri Valley Conference season, every game is important as the Valparaiso University baseball team attempts to make up enough ground to earn a spot in the eight-team field for the upcoming MVC Tournament in Evansville, Ind. The Purple Aces, who will host that event later this month, will make their way to Valpo for a three-game weekend series beginning on Friday. Saturday’s game will feature an alumni event with numerous Valpo baseball players of yesteryear making their way back to Emory G. Bauer Field.
Last Time Out: Valpo dropped a pair of close contests to start a three-game weekend series at UIC, falling 8-6 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday. The Beacons blitzed the Flames 20-0 in seven innings in Sunday’s series finale at Curtis Granderson Stadium behind a shutout from Bryce Konitzer to go along with eight home runs and a robbed grand slam by Alex Ryan. Valpo engaged in a midweek marathon at Western Michigan, falling 8-6 in 15 innings on a walk-off home run.
Following the Beacons: This weekend’s series will not have video streaming coverage due to home Valpo softball airing on ESPN+. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X. Links to live audio (Evansville’s radio broadcast) and stats are available on ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (201-323) is in his 11th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he coached his 500th game on March 17, 2024 at Campbell. On April 19 vs. Missouri State, he became the third head coach in program history to secure his 200th win. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.
Series Notes: Valpo leads Evansville 41-27 in an all-time series between two instate foes that dates all the way back to 1948. Valpo won the series opener last season in Evansville 6-1 before falling in a pair of one-run games, 9-8 and 4-3. The Purple Aces took three of four last time they visited Emory G. Bauer Field, which was in 2021. Valpo is 6-9 in 15 matchups with Evansville since joining the MVC.
In The Other Dugout: Evansville
Currently in second place in the MVC standings, behind only nationally-ranked Indiana State.
Picked to finish third in the MVC preseason poll.
Won two of three at home against Missouri State last weekend before winning a midweek game at SEMO 7-6 on Tuesday.
Mark Shallenberger’s .391 batting average leads the team in hitting. He also has 12 home runs and 47 RBIs.
#SCTop10
Center fielder Alex Ryan made an incredible leaping catch in the bottom of the third inning on April 28 at UIC, robbing Ryan Nagelbach of a grand slam. The catch instead ended the inning with no damage done.
Ryan’s incredible play was featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays on Sunday evening, checking in at No. 4 on the popular daily countdown on ESPN.
The snag was also featured on D1Baseball’s Top 10 Plays of the Weekend.
Extinguishing the Flames
Bryce Konitzer was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week on April 29 after throwing 10 shutout innings over two games the previous week.
Konitzer yielded just three hits and two walks while striking out 12 over the two starts. He held opponents to an .094 batting average and permitted just one extra-base hit over the 10 shutout frames.
Konitzer started at Northern Illinois on April 23 and allowed just one hit and no walks while striking out four over three shutout innings.
He followed that up with a complete game shutout in the April 28 series finale at UIC, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out eight in seven frames to earn the win as the Beacons beat the Flames 20-0.
The shutout came on a hitter-friendly day with the wind blowing out against a UIC team that was leading the conference in runs per game (7.8), on-base percentage (.412) and batting average (.306).
Konitzer became the second Beacon to be named MVC Pitcher of the Week this season, joining Connor Lockwood (April 1). Since Valpo joined The Valley, Konitzer, Lockwood (twice), Colin Fields (twice), Jacob Rosenkranz, Jake Miller, Bobby Nowak and Easton Rhodehouse have accounted for nine MVC Pitcher of the Week awards.
Konitzer hurled Valpo’s first individual two-hitter since Cole Webb on April 17, 2014 at Milwaukee. (Note, Colin Fields threw a no-hitter on March 12, 2021 at Middle Tennessee).
The right hander delivered Valpo’s second complete game of the season (Lockwood, March 30 vs. Bradley) and first shutout since Bobby Nowak on April 15, 2023 at Bradley.
Sunday Sluggers
Valpo blasted UIC 20-0 in seven innings on Sunday, April 28.
The team slugged eight home runs, tied for the sixth most in a game nationally this season as of April 28.
This marked just the second time since the start of the 2007 season that Valpo hit five or more home runs in a game, joining May 1, 2021 vs. Illinois State (five). This was the team’s first time hitting six or more in a game since April 4, 2006 at Ball State. The eight home runs marked the team’s most on record in a single game, dating back at least 20 years.
The 20 runs marked Valpo’s most in a league game since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. This was the team’s highest run total since April 11, 2018 vs. Milwaukee (23).
Carson Husmann went deep twice, recording Valpo’s first multi-homer game since Kyle Schmack on March 19 of this season vs. Ball State. One of his home runs was a grand slam, Valpo’s first of the year and first since Ryan Maka on May 5, 2023 vs. Southern Illinois.
The 20-run margin of victory was Valpo’s largest since April 2, 2010, a 26-5 win over Chicago State. This marked Valpo’s most lopsided shutout since April 15, 2004, a 20-0 win over Lewis.
Brady Renfro had four hits to lead an 18-hit attack, while Kaleb Hannahs had three and six total Beacons had multi-hit efforts.
The lopsided win helped Valpo break out of a 15-game road skid, returning to the road win column for the first time since March 12 at Gardner Webb. That was the nation’s second longest active such streak before it came to an emphatic end.
Midweek Marathon
Valpo’s game on April 30 at Western Michigan went 15 innings and saw the Broncos prevail 8-6 on a walk-off home run.
That marked Valpo’s longest game in terms of innings played since April 17, 2012, a 16-inning contest at Indiana State.
It was just the sixth game in the nation to go at least 15 innings this season. Washington at Long Beach State was in the 17th when it was called a 3-3 tie on Feb. 18 due to Washington travel. Valpo’s game at Western Michigan tied with four others for the longest game in the nation that had a winner this season.
The time of the game was four hours, 12 minutes. This was Valpo’s longest game in terms of time elapsed since the team enjoyed four hours, 29 minutes of excitement in an 8-7, 13-inning win on May 5, 2015 against – guess who? – Western Michigan.
Close Calls
Valpo has played 17 games decided by two runs or fewer this season. The Beacons hold a 4-13 record in those contests.
Seven of Valpo’s last nine games have been decided by two runs or fewer.
In the last five games, Valpo has outscored the opponents 43-29 (+14 run differential) but has dropped four of those five.
Beacon Bombs
Valpo has launched 57 home run this season, the team’s second straight year with 50 or more.
The program’s 2024 total already ranks third in single-season program history.
This marks the club’s top home run total since 2001.
Year HR
1 2001 81
2 1985 64
3 2024 57
4 1999 55
5 2023 50
Good with the Glove
Valpo owns a .972 fielding percentage this season, currently in position to rank third in program history.
Last season, Valpo tied a program record set in 2018 by posting a .973 fielding percentage.
This year’s mark ranks narrowly ahead of the 2017 team, which entered the season in third at .971.
Valpo has played errorless ball in six of its last nine games entering the weekend series vs. Evansville.
Schmack Reaches 200-Win Milestone
Head coach Brian Schmack reached the 200-career win milestone with a 7-6, 12-inning victory over Missouri State on April 12.
Schmack ranks third in program history in career victories, trailing only Paul Twenge (1988-2006, 378) and the legendary Emory G. Bauer (1954-1981, 359).
Schmack reached a milestone on March 17 at No. 21 Campbell, his 500th game at the helm of the program. He became the third skipper in program history to reach that number, joining the aforementioned Twenge (1,011; 1988-2006) and Bauer (1954-1981; 606).
Schmack schmacks
Kyle Schmack has hit 32 career home runs, tied for the second most in history and the most by any Valpo player since 2002.
Schmack has entered the program’s single-season top 5 in home runs as well. His 13 long balls in 2024 rank tied for second in single-season program history.
Schmack has increased his career double total to 44, a number that ranks tied for sixth in program history.
The Valpo slugger moved into the program’s all-time top 10 in RBIs during the Easter weekend series vs. Bradley. His total of 124 is eight in program history.
Schmack also ranks among the program’s all-time leaders in career walks with 97. He ranks sixth in that category.
Enter this weekend’s series vs. Evansville, Schmack has 214 career hits, ninth in program history.
Schmack also ranks ninth in program history in runs scored with 141.
UINDY WOMEN’S TENNIS
ZEUCH CAPTURES PLAYER OF THE YEAR AS HOUNDS RACK IN ALL-GLVC AWARDS
INDIANAPOLIS – A day before the start of the GLVC Tournaments, the University of Indianapolis men’s and women’s tennis programs racked in the All-GLVC honors. The biggest highlight of which came when Tom Zeuch captured GLVC Player of the Year.
The top-seeded Greyhounds – on both sides of the tournament – led the conference in All-GLVC first team honors in both genders, with three on each side. For the men it was Zeuch alongside Erwan Momo Andre and Louis Picaud. While for the women’s side it was the newcomer trio of Benedetta Sensi, Tyffaine Pais and Ana Hollweg who captured honors.
The league also recognized one student-athlete from each team as honorees for the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award, with Zeuch and Jimena De Pablos Hernando earning the nod for the Hounds. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be of good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners.
From GLVCsports.com
Player of the Year: Tom Zeuch, Graduate Student, Indianapolis
Earns UIndy’s seventh Player of the Year honor and second major award to his name after earning Freshman of the Year in 2021.
Went 18-3 overall and 4-1 in GLVC action at No. 1 singles.
Partnered with Matthieu Derache at No. 1 doubles, going 15-2 overall and 4-0 against GLVC foes.
Ranked first in both ITA Division II singles and doubles.
First time in program history to have top ranking in both singles and doubles.
Finished runner-up at ITA National Championship in the fall.
Helped Greyhounds go 13-4 overall and 5-0 in GLVC action to claim East Division title and top divisional seed in GLVC Tournament.
Named GLVC Player of the Week on Mar. 5 and Mar. 26.
One of two unanimous selections on All-GLVC First Team for his second-straight accolade.
UINDY BASEBALL
BASEBALL DROP SERIES OPENER TO FLYERS
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The No. 20-ranked University of Indianapolis baseball team dropped their first contest in two weeks, losing the series opener in Romeoville, Ill. to the Lewis Flyers by a score of 5-2.
Late offense was the key to victory for the home team, with the Flyers plating a big three spot in the bottom of the seventh to capture their win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Diego Cardenas toed the slab for the Hounds, and it looked to be another quality start for him, only giving up two runs through the first six innings.
The offense on the other side, struggled to string together hits, only plating runs in the sixth and the seventh. Caleb Vaughn was responsible for one of the two, launching one over the left field wall that has no doubts about it to bring the game to a 2-2 tie after the top of the seventh.
However, still battling the tough Cardenas, the Flyers powered the long ball as well, hammering three out of the park in the bottom half of the frame to ice it.
UP NEXT
The Hounds will play the doubleheader of the set tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET in Romeoville, Ill.
UINDY TRACK
TRACK & FIELD STARTS GLVC CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH A BANG
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The UIndy track and field team took on day one of the GLVC Outdoor Championships. Day one included the first few events of the multi-events, the hammer throw, and the 10,000m. The Greyhounds finished the day with the women in first with 34 points and the men in fourth with four points.
Tomorrow the multis will start day two at 10 a.m. ET, with the field events starting at 1 p.m. ET, and finally the running events at 3:30 p.m. ET.
THURSDAY
The UIndy women started off strong with hammer throw. Zoe Pentecost won the event, demolishing her own school and GLVC record with 62.74m. Pentecost created a new school record (61.94m) at the Marian Open to start off the outdoor season. Audra Hogan also finished on the podium claiming third place with 51.84m (PR). Emily Bonser (51.57m) and Makenna Maschino (50.33m, PR) rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth place respectively.
In the women’s heptathlon, Ellie Lengerich holds the top spot after three events. With 2971 points, Lengerich won the 200m dash (784 points) and the shot put (554 points). On the men’s side, Cole Hurt is in second with 3344 points in the Decathlon. Hurt won the 100m dash (786 points) and finished second in the long jump (700 points) and the high jump (627 points). Both multi-events will wrap up tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET.
Hadley Fisher took on the 10,00m on Thursday night. Fisher took second in the event finishing in 36:08.12.
UINDY MEN’S LAX
HOUNDS BATTLE FLYERS, WEATHER IN GLVC SEMIFINAL
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The No. 13 UIndy men’s lacrosse team dropped its GLVC quarterfinal matchup with 18th-ranked Lewis for the second straight season on Thursday, falling to the host Flyers by a score of 13-9.
The Greyhounds failed to string momentum-shifting plays together, as the top-seeded Flyers avenged their loss earlier in the season with a postseason victory. Triston Schaffer led the Hounds with a hat trick, his fifth of the spring.
Senior netminder KC Carlson made 14 saves between the pipes, tying his program record from last season against Lewis for most stops in a conference tournament contest.
INS & OUTS
Lewis slowly built its 8-5 halftime lead behind solid defensive play, despite Carlson making 10 of his 14 saves in the first 30 minutes. Owain Braddock cut the deficit down to two midway through the second quarter, but – as they did all evening – the Flyers countered with a goal from GLVC Offensive Player of the Year Evan Clement to head into the break with the advantage.
The Greyhounds inched back within two scores on four occasions in the second half, with Schaffer being the culprit three times. However, the Flyers did not let the Hounds score consecutive goals at any point in the game and held the visitors scoreless the final 6:22 of action.
UIndy held strong defensively throughout the game, causing 10 of Lewis’ 15 turnovers in addition to Carlson’s 14 saves. Jack Sullivan and Adam Wong were each credited with three CTOs, while Trevor Lockwood caused two Flyer miscues.
INSIDE THE BOX
– The Flyer faceoff duo held Caleb Parker at bay the entire afternoon, as the senior FOGO went 10-for-26 at the dot.
– Nick Randgaard scored UIndy’s first two goals of the contest.
– Joining Braddock and Wong with an assist was Nathan Lam, as the team totaled a season-low three helpers.
– Twelve Hounds scooped up a ground ball on Thursday, including freshman and GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship honoree Jason Davide.
UP NEXT
UIndy awaits its fate for the 2024 NCAA DII South Regional, with the selections set to be announced on Sunday evening. Stay up to date at UIndyAthletics.com.
UINDY SOFTBALL
UINDY SPRINTS PAST SAINTS IN GLVC TOURNAMENT OPENER
EAST PEORIA, Ill. – The No. 1-ranked and top-seeded UIndy softball team got off on the right foot Thursday at the 2024 GLVC Championship Tournament. The Greyhounds secured a 9-1 win against eighth-seeded Maryville, cruising to a run-rule win in five innings.
UIndy remains in the winners’ bracket to face fifth-seeded Missouri-St. Louis tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. local. UMSL outlasted McKendree in the morning game, 6-4, in nine innings.
INS & OUTS
The Hounds scored early and often in support of starter Kenzee Smith, hanging crooked numbers on the board in each of the first three innings. After a two-spot in the first, UIndy piled on with three in the second and four more in the third to pull away.
Emily O’Connor took one to the centerfield wall for a two-run double in the second inning, while Megan Nichols also plated a pair with a two-bagger of her own an inning later.
Both Lexy Rees and Braxton Downs chipped in a sacrifice fly. Nichols finished a perfect 3-for-3; while Rees, Shelby Cook and Dominique Proctor all walked twice. Reserves Nicole Pearce and Abby Maguire scored a run apiece.
Smith, meanwhile, earned her 30th win of the season, allowing just two hits and one walk in four scoreless frames of work. Just three UIndy pitchers have reached the 30-win plateau in a season, with the two-time reigning GLVC Pitcher of the Year in now just the second-ever Hound to accomplish it more than once.
MARIAN TRACK
JEREMIAH BROWN BREAKS MEET RECORD IN DAY ONE OF CROSSROADS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Marion, Ind.- The Marian men’s track and field team captured a perfect start to the 2024 Crossroads League Outdoor Championships on Thursday at Indiana Welseyan, taking first place into Friday’s competition in the ten-team field. Marian scored 94 points on the day, scoring meet records and placing on the podium eight times to highlight the meet’s opening day.
The Knight’s first scored event of the day in the 4×800 claimed the first place position, as the team of Robin Aguilar-Gonzalez, Howard Hendricks, Andrew McDade, and Ben Moster finished with a 7:31.81 and tallied 10 points to put Marian in the early lead.
Marian claimed the majority of their points in the field with the Knights placing in the top ten 14 times within the five events. Marian started off on a high note with Gunner Kovach, Jordan Pohl, and Cameron Parsley claiming a total of 14 points in the high jump. Kovach claimed second place while Phol claimed fourth, and Parsley claimed eighth. The Knights kept the trend going with Jacob Netral, Christian Rios, and Isaiah Tipping claiming the top three spots in the shot put with, Netral claiming first with a mark of 18.60m, Rios claiming second, and Tipping claiming third.
Tipping, Rios, and Netral also all placed in the top five in the discus. With Tipping claiming first with a mark of 55.14m, Rios claiming third, and Netral claiming fifth. To finish off the field events for day one Brenden Endres placed fifth in the pole vault, and Keagan and Brennen La Belle tied for seventh place.
Back on the track Jeremiah Brown broke the meet record in the 100m dash in preliminaries with a time of 10.37 to claim the first qualifying spot for tomorrow’s finals race. To finish off the evening Blake Hipkiss, Robert Lohman, and Clark Chustz all placed in the top 10 in the 10k. With Hipkiss claiming fourth, Lohman claiming sixth, and Chustz claiming ninth.
Marian’s first events on Friday will start at, 9:00 a.m., with Marian competing for a championship in the Heptathlon, Decathlon, Hammer and Javelin to start off the final day of the meet.
ARRIANA BENJAMIN AND BROOKE COFFMAN HEADLINE DAY ONE AT CROSSROADS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Marion, Ind. – The Marian women’s track and field team start off the Outdoor Crossroads League Championships on Thursday at Indiana Welseyan, taking third place going into Friday’s competition in the ten-team field. Marian scored 43 points on the day, with three events placed on podium and one meet record broken to highlight the meet’s opening day.
Marian’s first scored event of the day scored second overall in the 4×800, as the team of Adrianna Boyd, Katie Woods, Nora Steele, and Taylor Thomas finished with a time of 9:05.18 which started the day off with eight points for the Knights.
The Knights claimed majority of their points in the field during Thursday’s preliminaries with Mia Curran claiming points in the pole vault. Brooke Coffman and Nina Marinkovic tallied points in the long jump. Coffman claimed second place in the high jump and tallied up seven more points for the Knights, and Gina Butz claimed fourth place tallying up five points of her own.
Gabi Bilbrey claimed fourth place tallying up five points in the discus. Arriana Benjamin claimed first place in the shot put with a mark of 15.19m setting the new meet record in the event. Courtney Butler claimed seventh place in shot put and tallied two more points for the Knights.
Marian’s first events on Friday will start at, 9:00 a.m., with Marian competing for a championship in the Heptathlon, Decathlon, Hammer and Javelin to start off the final day of the meet.
MARIAN SOFTBALL
DOMINANT SECOND INNING FUELS NO. 8 MARIAN’S RUN-RULE WIN OVER NO. 16 INDIANA WESLEYAN
Spring Arbor, Mich. – Backed by an eight-run second inning and four commanding innings from the pitching staff, the Marian softball team run-ruled No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan to advance to the Crossroads League Championship game. Marian’s win is their 43rd of the season, as they reach the CL Championship with a 43-9 overall mark.
Olivia Stunkel got Marian off to a strong start defensively as the ace on the staff tossed a perfect frame to start the game, but in the second inning got roughed up as the junior pitched a lead-off walk. Indiana Wesleyan would fire in a pair of singles as Stunkel was able to record two outs, with the knock from Chloe Tragesser delivering the first two runs of the game. Stunkel would allow another base hit before getting a ground out to get out of the jam, ending the top of the second trailing by two.
Offensively, Marian was stymied by Alyssa Wagner in their first trip to the plate, but in the second got the bats rolling as Sierra Norman led the second inning with a single. Grace Meyer followed with a single, and the hits continued to roll as Abbey Hofmann and Lily Wendt recorded back-to-back doubles, knotting the score at 2-2. The bases loaded one batter later as Hayley Greene walked, setting up Savannah Harweger, as the senior turned on the first pitch of her second at bat, cranking a grand slam to right field to break the game open. Harweger’s grand slam put Marian on top 6-2, and before the inning ended Norman and Meyer each recorded another base hit, helping score two more runs.
In total, Marian put up eight runs on seven hits in the second inning, and with the help of a walk and two Indiana Wesleyan errors, the Knights were able to carry an 8-2 lead after two complete.
The lead would be all Stunkel needed, as the Marian ace cruised over her final two innings, retiring the side in order in the third while in the fourth stranding a one-out double on second base. In the bottom of the fourth inning the Knights capped the scoring, as three Indiana Wesleyan errors plagued the Wildcats, helping the home team to score two runs with just one hit.
The error-infused inning for Indiana Wesleyan gave Marian a 10-2 lead, and in the fifth inning Macy Coan came on in relief, giving up a lead-off single before retiring three consecutive batters on fly ball outs, sealing the run-rule win.
Of Marian’s 10 hits, four players recorded two each, with Harweger pacing the team going 2-3 with four RBI and two runs scored. Harweger’s second-inning grand slam was her third home run of the season. Meyer went 2-3 with 2 RBI, and Norman and Wendt each recorded two hits. Stunkel moved to 25-2 on the year in the circle with the four-innings of work, giving up four hits and two runs, one of which was earned. Coan recorded a four-batter fifth inning, allowing one hit.
Marian will play for the Crossroads League Championship on Friday, with a current scheduled time of 1:00 p.m. Marian’s opponent will be either Indiana Wesleyan, Taylor, or Spring Arbor. With weather conditions threatening on Friday, the game time could be altered, and fans will be encouraged to stick to MUKnights on X, formerly Twitter, for any schedule updates.
MARIAN BASEBALL
MARIAN FALLS TO NO. 18 TAYLOR IN SECOND ROUND OF CL TOURNAMENT
Upland, Ind. – The Marian baseball team lost their first game in the Crossroads League Tournament on Thursday afternoon, falling to host team and No. 18 Taylor in an 11-6 game. Marian falls to 23-26 overall on the year as they slide to the elimination bracket.
Marian and Taylor played to a scoreless start, trading goose eggs in the first inning as Gabel Pentacost retired the Knights in order, while Chris Adams used a double play to prevent a score after allowing a hit and walk in the opening frame. In the second inning Marian jumped in the lead against the top-seed Taylor, as walks to Pierson Barnes and Johnny Roeder put runners on the base path, allowing Dawson Estep to deliver as he doubled to center field bringing in two runs. In the home half Adams protected the lead with a pair of strikeouts, as Marian led 2-0 after two innings.
In the third inning, the Trojans answered Marian’s pair of runs with two of their own, as an error in the lead-off spot bit the Knights. Two runs would score on an single from Sam Gladd, tying the game 2-2. The game wouldn’t stayed flush for long, as the Knights put up two runs with two outs in the fourth inning, as Estep hit a towering home run over the center field fence, pushing Marian back in front 4-2. Taylor would again find a way to match the Knights’ output, answering Marian’s efforts in the top half with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Two errors and two hits allowed Taylor to take their first lead of the contest, as they closed the frame on top 6-4.
The offenses were quieted in the fifth inning as Adams got a pair of strikeouts to keep Marian in the game, but in the sixth the redshirt-sophomore was not as successful, giving up a lead-off solo home run, which was followed by a double. Adams would give up one more run over his next two batters faced, exiting the game for Justin Johnson with two outs remaining in the sixth. Johnson would give up one of his inherited runs as a sacrifice fly capped the scoring for the inning, as Marian trailed 9-4 after six complete innings.
Marian responded to Taylor’s runs with two scores in the seventh inning, as the team tried to rally back into the game. Nathan Pinarski courtesy ran for Jacob Dill after the catcher was hit by a pitch, and navigated his way around the bases as Caden Mason drove in a run with an RBI single. Mason would reach second on a wild pitch and scored after Josh Lamb reached on an error, but the rally was unable to keep going as a strikeout and fly out ended the half inning.
The Knights would manage just one base runner with their final six outs of play, coming on a walk to the catcher Dill in the eighth. Johnson pitched a scoreless seventh inning that kept Marian in the 9-6 contest, but was unable to hold the score to the finish line, allowing a two-run home run to Mason David in the eighth inning, ending the scoring as Knights fell 11-6.
As a team the Knights had just four base hits while Taylor had 11. Estep had two of the four hits and four RBI, homering and doubling in the defeat. Mason had an RBI single, and Kameron Salazar had a single going 1-5. Adams suffered the loss as he fell to 3-8 on the year, giving up nine runs, five of which were earned. Adams struck out four and allowed nine hits over 5.1 innings. Johnson pitched the final 2.2 innings, allowing two of his own runs to score on two base hits.
Marian will play Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Friday in an elimination game. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
9 – 5 – 12 – 21 – 44 – 6 – 8 – 16 – 23
May 3, 1936 – A big event in New York Yankee history occurred. Number 9, Joe DiMaggio made his debut in the big leagues. In this inaugural game for Jumpin Joe, he had 3 hits in the game! What a way to make an entrance. In 1937 DiMaggio’s uniform would read Number 5 for the balance of his career.
May 3, 1951 – Speaking about NY Yankee rookies making a splash, well how about Number 12, Gil McDougald? McDougald tied a major league record with 6 RBIs in 1 inning and ended up winning the Rookie of the Year Award for the 1951 season.
May 3, 1961 – Veteran Milwaukee Braves pitcher, Warren Spahn, Number 21 pitched a 2 hitter after pitching a no hitter. Performances like this earned Spahn the Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player accolades. The Braves defeated the Dodgers 4-1.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Football History Headlines for May 3
May 3, 1910 – Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States is renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) according to the US Library of Congress.The Organization was founded March 31, 1906 as football reform was called for by many including, President Theodore Roosevelt and was initially named the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). At the organization’s fifth annual conference, IAAUS is renamed to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) due to its increased growth and influence. Rules in other intercollegiate sports such as baseball, track athletics, and basketball are also subject to discussion and reform.
May 3, 1977 – “ Long Waiting Period Comes to End for Prize USC Back” that was the headline in the Longview News Journal in Longview Texas the day after the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft took place.
Ricky Bell from USC first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The career of Bell lasted through the 1982 season however it has not been placed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame but the second overall selection was. Tony Dorsett from the University of Pittsburgh was picked by the Dallas Cowboys who accomplished quite a bit of maneuvering to get into the position of being able to select the outstanding halfback. So far according to the Pro Football Reference, Dorsett is the only player from the 1977 Draft Class that has been enshrined in Canton.
May 3, 1979 – The 1979 NFL Draft: Tom Cousineau from Ohio State first pick by Buffalo Bills. The linebacker played in the League through 1987 enjoying a nice career but so far has not received a Gold Jacket. The player from this 1979 NFL Draft that are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame are Dan Hampton the defensive end from Arkansas taken with the fourth pick by the Chicago Bears, the San Diego Chargers selection at number 13 of tight end Kellen Winslow, and the steal of the Draft at overall selection number 82 by the San Francisco 49ers of Notre Dame QB Joe Montana according to PFR.
May 3, 1992 – The Ohio Glory team wins their first WLAF game after 6 losses. They defeated the Frankfurt Galaxy 20-17. Unfortunately that was the Columbus, Ohio based franchise’s only victory as they disbanded months after the season ended per the Fun While it Lasted website.
May 3, 2018 – Payday! High Water Mark Set! Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan becomes NFL’s first $30 million per season player after agreeing to $150m contract extension for five years. The Falcons signal caller according to an article in the Chicago Tribune became the highest paid player in League history, for at least a little while. At that time Ryan had been in four Pro Bowls and had tossed for over 41000 yards and 260 TDs.
Hall of Fame Birthdays for May 3
Here are the bios on some birthday boys that are either in the College Football Hall of Fame or the Pro Football Hall of Fame that were born on this day. There is plenty more about them to read by either clicking their high-lighted name or at the top of this page clicking the “On This Day in Football History” and going to May 3 Football History.
May 3, 1927 – Columbus, Georgia – Bobby Davis the Georgia Tech tackle from 1944 to 1947 was born. Bobby Davis was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1978 after the National Football Foundation tabulated the votes.
May 3, 1941 – Mount Holly, New Jersey – Penn State’s brilliant end from 1960 to 1962, Dave Robinson arrived into the world. The legend received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. Dave Robinson was selected for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
May 3
1927 — Brooklyn’s Jesse Barnes defeated his brother Virgil Barnes for a 7-6 victory over the New York Giants. It was the first matchup of pitching brothers in major league history.
1936 — Joe DiMaggio made his major league debut for the New York Yankees and had three hits in a 14-5 victory over the St. Louis Browns.
1951 — Rookie Gil McDougald of New York drove in six runs in one inning to tie a major league record as the Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns 17-3 at Sportsman’s Park. McDougald had a two-run triple and a grand slam in an 11-run ninth inning.
1959 — Detroit’s Charlie Maxwell hit four consecutive homers in a doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees, 4-2 and 8-2, at Briggs Stadium.
1963 — Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds hits his first major league home run off St. Louis Cardinals ace Ernie Broglio.
1975 — Cincinnati Reds manager Sparky Anderson decides to switch Pete Rose from left field to third base.
1979 — Cleveland’s Bobby Bonds hit the 300th home run of his career against Moose Haas in a 6-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Bonds, with 413 stolen bases at the time, became the second player to have 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases, joining Willie Mays.
1980 — Ferguson Jenkins of the Texas Rangers became the fourth pitcher in major league history to win 100 or more games in each league. Jenkins beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 at Arlington Stadium. Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Gaylord Perry also reached the milestone.
1980 — Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants hits his 521st and final career home run against Scott Sanderson of the Montreal Expos, helping the Giants to a 3-2 win. His shot ties him with Ted Williams on the all-time list. McCovey will enter the Hall of Fame in 1986.
1992 — Baltimore closer Gregg Olson, age 25, became the youngest pitcher in major league history to record 100 saves.
1994 — Philadelphia reliever Andy Carter made his major league debut and was ejected from the game after hitting two of three San Diego Padres batters he faced.
1998 — Dan Wilson of the Seattle Mariners hits the first inside-the-park grand slam in the franchise’s history.
1999 — Boston’s Creighton Gubanich hit a grand slam for his first major league hit in a 12-11, 10-inning loss to Oakland. Gubanich became the fourth player to accomplish the feat and the first since Seattle’s Orlando Mercado did it Sept. 19, 1982. Bill Duggleby (1898 – Phillies) and Bobby Bonds (1968 – Giants) were the others.
1999 — Jeff Kent of the San Francisco Giants went 5-for-5 and hit for the cycle in a 9-8 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2001 — Johnny Oates resigns as the Texas Rangers manager and will be replaced by the team’s third base coach Jerry Narron. A poor start of 11-17 due to a lack of pitching, and owner Tom Hicks’s high expectations after signing prized free agent Alex Rodriguez, had led to speculation the Texas skipper would soon be fired.
2009 — Carl Crawford tied a modern major league record with six stolen bases to help Tampa Bay beat Boston 5-3. Crawford was 4-for-4 with an RBI and became the fourth player to swipe six bases in a game, joining Eddie Collins (twice), Otis Nixon, and Eric Young.
2011 — Francisco Liriano pitched the major leagues’ first no-hitter of the season, throwing his first career complete game in Minnesota’s 1-0 victory over Chicago. Liriano walked six and struck out two. Liriano, the reigning AL comeback player of the year, was backed by Jason Kubel’s fourth-inning homer.
2012 — The great Mariano Rivera, baseball’s all-time save leader, suffers a torn ligament in his right knee while shagging fly balls during batting practice before the Yankees’ game with the Royals.
2015 — Owners of the worst record in the major leagues at 7-18, the Brewers fire manager Ron Roenicke. He will be replaced tomorrow by Craig Counsell, who has been inactive after retiring as a player following the 2011 season.
2018 — The Mariners announce that they have released 44-year-old OF Ichiro Suzuki, who is hitting .205 with no extra-base hits in 15 games and that he will stay on as a special assistant to the Chairman.
2022 — In Houston’s 4 – 0 win over the Mariners, Dusty Baker becomes the 12th manager in history to reach the 2,000-win mark.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1993 (BASEBALL ALMANAC)..
Off the field…
On February 26, 1993 more than 1,000 lb. of explosives shook the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York leaving six people dead and over one thousand injured. The incident marked the first time in modern history that a terrorist attack was launched on American soil. Unfortunately, it would not be the last.
After an unsuccessful raid by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on David Koresh’s Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas, the FBI and U.S. Army took over, mounting a fifty-one day siege. The standoff ended in tragedy when a fire broke out as government agents attempted to storm the compound. In the end, all seventy four cult members inside perished.
An attempt by a U.S. Special Forces team (including Delta Force and Army Rangers) to abduct two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord in Mogadishu, Somalia resulted in the downing of two Black Hawk helicopters and the longest sustained firefight involving American troops since the Vietnam War. The following morning, eighteen Americans were dead and more than seventy were badly injured.
In the American League…
Carlos Baerga became the first switch-hitter in Major League history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same inning as the Cleveland Indians topped the New York Yankees 15-5.
Kansas City’s Greg Gagne belted the 10,000th hit in the history of Detroit’s Tiger Stadium, making it the first ballpark to reach that figure. The Royals went on to defeat the home team 12-6.
Carlton Fisk, then with the Chicago White Sox, played in his 2,226 and final Major League game, surpassing Bob Boone’s record for the most games caught. Following the historical outing, Fisk reluctantly retired with 3,999 total bases, the most ever for a catcher.
In the National League…
The Pittsburgh Pirate’s Tim Wakefield set the record for the most pitches thrown in a single game in the 1990s. The Bucco’s knuckler tossed one-hundred seventy-two en route to a 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves. The last pitcher to match Wakefield was the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela in 1987.
On July 7th, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies went head-to-head in a twenty-inning marathon that lasted six hours and ten minutes. The grueling contest finally ended after Lenny Dykstra hit a clutch, bases-loaded two-run double off Rod Nichols for the 7-6 finale.
The San Diego Padres appointed a twenty-nine year-old named Randy Smith as their new Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, making him the youngest General Manager in the history of Major League Baseball.
Around the league…
The Reverend Jesse Jackson accused baseball owners of discrimination practices and threatened to start a selective boycott unless a plan to hire more minorities for front-office jobs was in place by April 5.
Marge Schott, the Cincinnati Reds owner, was fined $25,000 by the commissioner’s office and banned for an entire season after several complaints were filed accusing her of using of ethnic and racial slurs.
George Steinbrenner was finally able to resume his role as general partner of the New York Yankees after a suspension from baseball due to questionable dealings with renowned gambler Howard Spira.
In an effort to broaden both leagues and expand post-season opportunities, a vote was cast to divide both the American and National into three divisions and add another round of playoffs featuring two additional wild-card teams.
HISTORY OF THE MARLINS (BASEBALL ALMANAC)
The Florida Marlins may be a new franchise, but they already have a wild and wickedly successful postseason history that would make more established teams envious. The Marlins have been to the playoffs twice, both times as a wild card. They are a perfect 6-0 in postseason series and have been involved in three of the most exciting and extraordinary plays in baseball postseason history.
There was little hint of the Marlins flair for postseason dramatics when they began play in 1993. The National League awarded the Florida franchise in 1991 to Wayne Huizenga, CEO of the movie rental giant Blockbuster. Huizenga already owned both the Miami Dolphins of the NFL and Florida Panthers of the NHL.
The Marlins opened play in 1993 with a 6-3 win against the Dodgers. The rest of the season was a good news/bad news scenario. The bad news was the team finished 64-98. The good news is they avoided the National League East cellar, finishing five games ahead of the Mets.
The next few years did not go much better. But by the time Jim Leyland became manager in 1997, Huizenga’s free agent money had added Bobby Bonilla (.297, 17 HR, 96 RBI), Gary Sheffield (.250, 21 HR 71 RBI), and Moises Alou (.292, 23 HR 115 RBI) to the offense and Kevin Brown (16-8), Livan Hernandez (9-3), Alex Fernandez (17-12) and Rob Nenn (35 saves) to the pitching staff, all of them handled by the league’s best defensive catcher in Charles Johnson.
The Marlins won the wild card with a 92-70 record and then took out the Giants and the Braves in the National League playoffs. They defeated the Cleveland Indians in the World Series, winning on the first of their extraordinary postseason plays. The seventh and deciding game went to an 11th inning when Marlin shortstop Edgar Renteria whacked an RBI single just past the glove of Indian pitcher Charles Nagy to score Craig Counsell with the series-winning run.
Florida became the youngest franchise to win a world championship (fifth season). They were also the first wild card team in major league history to win it all.
Huizenga began dismantling his championship team almost as soon as Bud Selig handed him the World Series trophy. Claiming expenses were too high, Huizenga held a fire sale during the next year, selling most of his star players and leaving a devastated shell of a team that plummeted to a 54-108 season. The Marlins became the first team to lose 100 games the season after winning the World Series.
Leyland resigned after the 1998 debacle, and Huizenga sold the team to businessman John Henry shortly thereafter. But the damage was done. The Florida fans felt betrayed by Huizenga’s fire sale and they showed their anger by staying away from Marlins’ games in droves. By 2002, the Marlins only averaged about 10,000 fans per game.
To their credit, the Marlins continued to cultivate or trade for young talent, such as Luis Castillo, Mike Lowell and Juan Pierre, plus pitchers Brad Penny and Josh Beckett. Adding free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez was the final piece of the puzzle for the 2003 season.
Due to injuries, the team started poorly — so poor in fact they had baseball’s worst record on May 11 (19-29). Things began to turn when the Marlins brought in 72- year-old Jack McKeon to manage and brought up feisty pitching prospect Dontrelle Willis. The left-handed Willis went 9-1 in his first 13 starts, and as the pitching staff got progressively healthy, it got stronger. A 91-71 mark earned them their second wild card berth.
Demonstrating they had not lost their postseason magic, the Marlins defeated the Giants 3-1 in the best-of-five first round, ending the series with another of their signature extraordinary plays. The Marlins had a two-run lead entering the ninth inning of the fourth game. The Giants got one run back and were bidding to tie the game when Marlin outfielder Jeff Conine threw out J.T. Snow at the plate. It was the first time in baseball history a postseason series ended with a game-tying run being thrown out at the plate.
That play was only a sample of what was to come in the next series. Trailing the Cubs three games to two, and trailing 3-0 in Game Six, the Marlins became beneficiaries of the infamous (at least in Chicago) Bartman incident.
A lifelong Cub fan, Steve Bartman prevented Cubs outfielder Moises Alou from catching a foul ball near the left-field stands that would have been the second out of the eighth inning. Inexplicably, the play changed the karma of the game and the Marlins rallied to score eight times before the Cubs got the third out. The Marlins won 8-3 and Game Seven the next night.
The Marlins capped their season with a six-game upset win against the Yankees in the World Series, behind the pitching of Beckett and Penny
They didn’t make the playoffs again the rest of the decade. However, they continued to be competitive by developing strong prospects such as shortstop Hanley Ramirez, left-fielder Chris Coghlan and pitcher Josh Johnson. They also will finally move into a true baseball venue when they leave Sun Life Stadium (formerly Joe Robbie Stadium) in 2012. The retractable roof feature should help attendance and limit the frequent rain delays and weather-related cancellations that became common at Marlins games.
Through it all, one thing has been consistent about the Marlins during their brief history: They may have had up and down seasons, but when they make the postseason, they have been flawless and they have been extraordinary.
MIAMI MARLINS
For the first 19 years of its existence, the team played its home games at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens. In 2012, they will move into newly constructed Marlins Ballpark in Little Havana, Miami, Florida.
On September 28, 2011, the Marlins introduced Ozzie Guillén as their new manager. On the same day, the Marlins played their last game at Sun Life Stadium with Charlie Hough and Benito Santiago being the first pitch battery, the same battery from the first Marlins game. The team also brought back former Marlins greats and released the All-Time Florida Marlins team and top 10 moments from the franchise’s 19 year history.
On November 11, 2011, the Marlins officially rebranded themselves the Miami Marlins with a new logo, uniform, and color scheme. The VIP event was held at the site of the new ballpark at night, featuring a private concert by Pitbull and a fashion show featuring the new uniforms worn by various Marlins players and coaches, including Guillen, Logan Morrison, Hanley Ramirez, and Josh Johnson.
THE MEN OF BASEBALL
GEORGE BELL
From 1984, when he became a regular in the Blue Jay lineup, through 1988, Bell averaged 31 home runs and 104 RBI per season to establish himself as one of the American League‘s dominant power hitters. Drafted by Toronto from the Phillies’ organization at the end of 1980, he spent the next four seasons either on the Toronto bench or with the Blue Jays Triple-A team at Syracuse. A torrid spring training served as a springboard for his 1984 season of 26 homers, 87 RBI, and a new team record of 69 extra-base hits, and established him as a regular, with Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield, in what was perhaps baseball’s finest outfield of the 1980s. His home run, RBI, and extra-base-hit totals climbed in each of his next three seasons. In August 1985 he clubbed homers in a Blue Jay-record four consecutive games. Two of the homers cleared the roof at Comiskey Park, and another landed in the centerfield bleachers. His high point as a slugger came in 1987 as he set team records with 47 home runs, 134 RBI (which led the AL), 16 game-winning RBI, 83 extra-base hits, 369 total bases, and a .605 slugging average.
Bell’s selection as the 1987 American League MVP generated quite a bit of controversy in light of his poor performance in two crucial series at the end of the 1987 campaign against the Tigers, who defeated Toronto on the final day of the season to win the division. No stranger to discord, the hot-tempered native of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic had incurred the hatred of Boston fans by directing a karate kick at Red Sox pitcher Bruce Kison, who seemed to be throwing at Blue Jay batters. His general surliness, lackadaisical defensive play, and team-record outfield errors incurred the wrath of Toronto management and fans, and prompted manager Jimy Williams‘s 1988 spring-training announcement that Bell would be moved to DH in order to improve team defense and save his knees. Bell bristled, then hit three home runs on Opening Day (the first player ever to do so). Nevertheless, a bitter, season-long feud with Williams ensued and played a decisive role in the downfall of the 1988 team. In the process, Bell set a team record with 15 errors in left.
The volatile slugger was buoyed by the dismissal of Williams early in the season, but run-ins with umpires and opposing players helped him rack up three ejections and two suspensions over the course of the year. After new manager Cito Gaston moved Bell to the third spot in the lineup in mid-August, Bell responded with his best month of the season, hitting .370 with six homers and 26 RBIs. A host of minor injuries slowed him over the next few seasons, but Bell’s bat continued to be one of the most feared in the American League. A late-season slump tarnished an otherwise fine campaign (.265, 21, 86) in 1990; after the season, Bell signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs worth nearly ten million dollars. Suffering from a groin pull and turf toe at various points during the year, Bell turned in an All-Star campaign (.285, 25, 86) in his first National League season despite committing a league-leading 10 errors in left field.
The following spring, Bell was dealt to the White Sox for Sammy Sosa and reliever Ken Patterson and immediately surprised South Side fans with his willingness to DH. “I’m not really ready to be a full-time designated hitter,” Bell announced. “But I know I’m going to have to do some of it.” Yielding to Tim Raines in left field, Bell DHed in all but 15 of his 155 games with the White Sox, posting a career-low .255 batting average but slugging a team-high 25 home runs and driving in 112 runs, second only to Frank Thomas’ 115.
Bell’s attitude adjustment was refreshing, but a disappointing performance the following season (.217, 13, 64) soon soured his sunny disposition. Surgery to repair cartilage damage in his right knee caused Bell to miss most of the second half of the season; he finished the season 0-for-26 and in a surly mood. During his team’s ALCS appearance against the Blue Jays, Bell brought back bad memories of his earlier outbursts in Toronto by slamming manager Gene Lamont. Ironically, this time Bell was annoyed because he wasn’t DHing. Instead, the once-feared slugger had been benched. “I don’t respect Gene Lamont as a manager or as a man,” Bell asserted after being shunted from the Game Three lineup in favor of Bo Jackson. “Geno was in that Triple-A league [the NL] when I had my best years so he doesn’t really know what I can do.”
Lamont was not amused by Bell’s colorful quotes. After the series finished, Bell’s career came to an end when he was unceremoniously released.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
May 3
1902 — Alan-a-Dale wins the Kentucky Derby by a nose over Inventor, giving jockey Jimmy Winkfield his second straight Derby victory. Winkfield is the last black rider to win the Kentucky Derby.
1936 — NY Yankee Joe DiMaggio makes his major-league debut, gets 3 hits.
1941 — Whirlaway, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, has an easy start to the Triple Crown with an eight-length victory over Staretor in the Kentucky Derby.
1952 — CBS is the first network to televise the Kentucky Derby, with Hill Gail winning by two lengths over Sub Fleet. Jockey Eddie Arcaro wins a record fifth Derby and Ben A. Jones wins a record sixth for a trainer.
1969 — Jockey Bill Hartack wins his fifth Kentucky Derby. His victory aboard Majestic Prince tie Eddie Arcaro’s record. Majestic Prince overtakes Arts and Letters at the mile pole and holds on by a neck.
1977 — 1977 NFL Draft: Ricky Bell from USC first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
1979 — 1979 NFL Draft: Tom Cousineau from Ohio State first pick by Buffalo Bills.
1979 — MLB Cleveland Indian Bobby Bonds hits his 300th HR (2nd to have 300 HRs & 300 stolen bases).
1980 — Genuine Risk, ridden by Jacinto Vasquez, becomes the second filly to win the Kentucky Derby, beating Rumbo by a length.
1981 — The Boston Celtics wipe out an 11-point deficit in the second half to beat Philadelphia 91-90 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals and become the fourth NBA team to recover from a 3-1 deficit.
1986 — The 54-year-old Bill Shoemaker wins his fourth Kentucky Derby, riding long-shot Ferdinand to a last-to-first dash for a 2¼-length win over Bold Arrangement.
1992 — NY Met Eddie Murray is 24th to hit 400 HRs.
2001 — Dallas, with an 84-83 win over Utah, becomes the sixth NBA team to win a five-game series after trailing 0-2. The Mavericks rally from double-digit deficits in all three wins, including 17 in Game 5.
2003 — Funny Cide becomes the first gelding since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 to win the Kentucky Derby.
2007 — Golden State is the first No. 8 seed to capture a best-of-seven playoff series with a 111-86 victory over the NBA-best Dallas Mavericks in Game 6. The Warriors are only the third eighth seed to upset the No. 1 and the first since the opening round went from best-of-five to the current format.
2008 — Big Brown, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, scores a 4 3/4-length victory in the Kentucky Derby. Big Brown is the first horse since the filly Regret in 1915 to win the Derby after just three career starts and the second to win from post position No. 20.
2012 — LeBron James scores 32 points and Miami takes a 3-0 series lead, sending New York to an NBA postseason-record 13th straight loss, 87-70. The Knicks break the record set by Memphis from 2004-06.
2014 — California Chrome, ridden by Victor Espinoza, pulls away down the stretch for a dominant win at the 140th Kentucky Derby. The 5-2 favorite stretched his winning streak to five and Art Sherman becomes the oldest winning Derby trainer at 77.
2014 — Marian Gaborik scores with seven seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and then scores 12:07 into the extra period to lift the Los Angeles Kings to a 3-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks in the opener of the first playoff series between the Southern California teams.
2015 — Chelsea wins the 2014-2015 English football Premier League.
2018 — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan becomes NFL’s first $30m per season player after agreeing to $150m contract extension.
2023 — MLB LA Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani joins NY Yankee legend Babe Ruth as only pitcher to strike out 500 batters and hit over 100 career home runs in 6-4 over the Cardinals in St. Louis.
TV SPORTS FRIDAY
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Milwuakee at Chi. Cubs | 2:20pm | Bally Sports-Wisconsin MARQ |
| Baltimore at Cincinnati | 6:10pm | MASN Bally Sports-Ohio |
| San Francisco at Philadelphia | 6:40pm | NBC Sports-Bay Area NBC Sports-Philadelphia |
| Colorado at Pittsburgh | 6:40pm | Rockies.TV ATTSN-Pittsburgh |
| Toronto at Washington | 6:45pm | Sportsnet MASN/2 |
| NY Mets at Tampa Bay | 6:50pm | SNY Bally Sports-Sun |
| Detroit at NY Yankees | 7:05pm | Bally Sports-Detroit YES |
| LA Angels at Cleveland | 7:10pm | Bally Sports-West Bally Sports-Great Lakes |
| Texas at Kansas City | 7:40pm | Bally Sports-Southwest Bally Sports-Kansas City |
| Seattle at Houston | 8:10pm | Root Sports SCHN |
| Boston at Minnesota | 8:10pm | NESN Bally Sports-North |
| Chi. White Sox at St. Louis | 8:15pm | NBC Sports-Chicago Bally Sports-Midwest |
| Miami at Oakland | 9:40pm | Bally Sports-Florida NBC Sports-California |
| San Diego at Arizona | 9:40pm | Padres.TV YurView |
| Atlanta at LA Dodgers | 10:10pm | Bally Sports-South SNLA |
| NBA PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| First Round Game 6: Cleveland at Orlando | 7:30pm | ESPN Fubo |
| First Round Game 6: LA Clippers at Dallas | 9:30pm | ESPN Fubo |
| NHL PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| First Round Game 6: Vancouver at Nashville | 7:00pm | TNT Fubo |
| First Round Game 6: Dallas at Vegas | 10:00pm | TNT Fubo |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| DP World Tour: Volvo China Open | 1:00am | GOLF |
| PGA Tour Golf: The CJ Cup Byron Nelson | 4:00pm | GOLF |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Ligue 1: Toulouse vs Montpellier | 1:00pm | beIN Sports |
| Bundesliga: Hoffenheim vs RB Leipzig | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Serie A: Torino vs Bologna | 2:45pm | Paramount+ |
| La Liga: Getafe vs Athletic Club | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Ligue 1: Lens vs Lorient | 3:00pm | beIN Sports |
| NWSL: Seattle Reign vs San Diego Wave | 10:00pm | Prime |
| COLLEGE BASEBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Oklahoma State vs Texas | 5:00pm | LHN |
| Texas A&M vs LSU | 8:00pm | SECN |
| Washington vs Arizona State | 9:30pm | PAC12N |
| Oregon State vs Washington State | 10:00pm | PAC12N |
| COLLEGE SOFTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Alabama vs Auburn | 6:00pm | SECN |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| Mutua Madrid Open Tennis: ATP Doubles Semifinal 1 | 8:00am | TENNIS |
| Mutua Madrid Open Tennis: ATP Singles Semifinal, ATP Doubles Semifinal | 10:00am | TENNIS |